Can the Falcons Turn a Lost Season Into a Foundation for 2026?

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons are closing out the stretch of their 2025 NFL season, with the playoffs or any hope of a winning record out of reach – but that does not mean they will not have anything left to play for down the stretch. These last two games may not decide 2025, but they could shape 2026.

Individual players can still earn accolades for themselves, but the team could also get a good, hard look at what they could look like in a Falcons uniform moving forward.

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Running back Bijan Robinson, who leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage, is on pace to shatter the franchise record (he is just 150 yards away from William Andrews’ mark of 2,176 yards with two games left to play. He has already solidified a second-straight Pro Bowl appearance, but a first-career All-Pro season could also be in his future if he finishes the year in a big way.

Players like tight Kyle Pitts Sr. or quarterback Kirk Cousins are auditioning for their next contracts, whether in Atlanta or elsewhere.

Edge rusher James Pearce Jr., who still leads all rookies in sacks with 8.5, could get added looks to rush the passer and build out his resume en route to some Defensive Rookie of the Year attention. Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich called what he was doing “borderline historic,” but declined to say they would be paying much attention to that voting down the stretch.

Other young players, like a rookie undrafted free agent in Cobee Bryant, could get some additional reps that they otherwise may not have if the Falcons were in a playoff push.

But as a team, the Falcons can look to build towards a more successful 2026.

Make no mistake about it, this team understands that the season has been a disappointment, and head coach Raheem Morris has acknowledged that fact.

“Football is our business. Winning is our job,” Morris said back on December 1st. “[That’s] the truth of the matter. Football is definitely our business, but winning is our job, and we’ve got to go out there and do that.”

The Falcons, who are 2-1 since Morris said that, will look to attack the final two games with that in mind.

Morris joked that he would “give his left arm” to be in position to win the division in Week 18 against the Saints, but that just is not where they find themselves – instead, they have been eliminated since Week 14. Now, they have to figure out the mindset that they want to attack these final two weeks with, and they will have a massive chance for that in prime time.

Morris declined to say their goal was to play ‘spoiler’ for the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, but instead, it is about continuing to put itself in that mindset of playing winning football.

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“You don't put yourself in those spots when you get there. You’ve got to generate that type of stuff for yourself,” he said. “If you don't match that intensity or you're not able to be in that certain mindset, you won't have any chance.”

They played a similar role two weeks ago in Tampa Bay, also in a prime-time matchup, when they traveled down to the Sunshine State and shocked their division rivals. Monday night will be a different challenge altogether.

A win would push them to two games below .500, with the chance to finish a respectable 8-9, and potentially save the job of their head coach. If they were to reach that total, it would mean they would finish the season on a four-game winning streak and as winners of five of their last seven after losing five in a row during the midseason.

Players and staff alike have insisted that this is one of the tightest groups they have been around, and how they finish could be telling.

“Just the way the team is built, the culture of the team, the ethos of the team,” Morris said. “I really wouldn't expect anything else to happen other than guys to come back and finish and be able to do everything they can to win football games.”

The Falcons opened as significant underdogs against the 11-4 Rams (-8.5 points to be exact), but that ‘spoiler’ mentality has to be a role they can embrace. A win, while ultimately insignificant for their trajectory in 2025, could dramatically impact what their 2026 would look like.