Yesterday, we sprinkled in a bit of pessimism, recognizing five games where Kirk Cousins may struggle for the Atlanta Falcons in 2024. So, it's only right that today we pour on the optimism for the Falcons fans.
The last time Atlanta pitched a shutout was December 16th, 2012 when the Falcons hosted defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Atlanta was just coming off a stinker of a defensive performance against the 3-9 Carolina Panthers where they allowed over 275+ yards passing and over 100+ yards rushing to quarterback Cam Newton, the first time it's happened in NFL history.
Atlanta's defense decided that they would respond with their best defensive performance of the season, holding Eli Manning to only 161 yards passing, two interceptions and a 38.9 passer rating on the day.
The first Friday in June is National Doughnut Day!
— Saivion Mixson (@MixsonS_NFL) June 7, 2024
To celebrate, here is the last time the Atlanta Falcons left a team with a doughnut on the scoreboard:
December 16th, 2012 vs. the defending SB Champion New York Giants
ATL 34 - NYG 0
🧵 incoming
(h/t All Highlights/ YT) pic.twitter.com/MA4eBfE8sJ
Atlanta is one of seven teams that have not been able to pitch a shutout since this game (Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Giants, New York Jets and Washington Commanders). With the easiest schedule in the NFL looming, the Falcons have four solid chances of pitching a shutout in 2024.
1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - Week 1 - September 8th, 2024
Buy Tickets: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Atlanta Falcons
Head coach Raheem Morris can make a statement early in his tenure by blanking former head coach Arthur Smith's offense for a doughnut to start the season. That would not only give Falcons fans hope but give credence to one of the bets that Atlanta is making this off-season: Atlanta's potential on offense was held back by Smith's dated offensive philosophy.
2) @ Carolina Panthers - Week 6 - October 13th, 2024
Buy Tickets: Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers
Carolina made strides to become a better offense than last season. I mean, there aren't many ways that it could've gotten worse. But they still lack talent on that side of the ball, meaning that if Atlanta's defense can get going in the early parts of the season, Carolina could be in for a world of trouble.
3) @ Denver Broncos - Week 11 - November 17th, 2024
Buy Tickets: Atlanta Falcons @ Denver Broncos
Sure, the Sean Payton factor does matter here, but their quarterback room has to be one of the worst that Atlanta has seen this season. Unless Bo Nix, Zach Wilson or Jarrett Stidham show something to believe in early, how much optimism can fans have for the Broncos offense?
4) vs. New York Giants - Week 16 - December 22nd, 2024
Buy Tickets: New York Giants @ Atlanta Falcons
It's starting to feel like a designated attack toward the Giants, but it isn't. New York's offense was just one of the more inept last season, lacking any explosive firepower to be concerned about. They've added rookie Malik Nabers to jumpstart it, but if the quarterback position isn't an improvement from last season, it may not matter who is catching the football.
