The Atlanta Falcons (8-7) visit the Washington Commanders (10-5) in a crucial Sunday night clash in Week 17.
Washington is coming off a thrilling 36-33 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, snapping the NFC East leaders' 10-game win streak. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels threw for five touchdowns and led a game-winning drive culminating in a Jamison Crowder go-ahead TD grab with six seconds remaining.
Atlanta got a massive 34-7 victory in Week 16 vs. the New York Giants to reclaim their status as NFC South leaders. Rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. earned his first career NFL start in the game, and will lead the Falcons into Northwest Stadium on Sunday night in what will be his prime time debut.
With playoff implications in play for both teams, let's get into all you need to know ahead of this matchup.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Commanders will be available to watch on bet365's Sports Live Streaming and on NBC, which can be viewed through linear and cable TV and streamed on live TV streaming apps such as YouTubeTV or FuboTV.
The game can also be streamed using Peacock.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Commanders will kick off at 8:20 PM ET on Sunday, December 29 from Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.
On if there is a possibility that RB Austin Ekeler will play again this year: "Absolutely possible. Yeah. So, Austin is definitely trending in the right way. Workout's are going great. He's in meetings, he's doing all the stuff with us. So yeah, we're certainly optimistic and we'll just play the whole thing out. But like you said, the earliest that he would begin is next week. But, it's been encouraging to see the progress that he's made."
On if the context of what he needs from his veteran leaders changes going into a potential playoff situation: “No, and the reason I say that quickly, they've been leaned on in such a significant way of standards and example. And the thing that's been fun to see honestly is the other leaders now that have emerged because of their willingness to share insights and to share ideas. And so like [CB] Mike Sainristil is a full on leader now. And so that's a good thing. [QB] Jayden [Daniels] is a full on leader here as a first year player. So it's hard to lead early. You have to prove it. You have to be dependable, you gotta be responsible for how you can do things and you have to do what you say you're going to do. And so in those instances, guys like that have emerged in that way. And there's a number of others, but them specifically from a rookie class, those two have absolutely stood up to me. I feel like [S] Percy Butler on the special team side has done that. [S] Jeremy Chinn has done that. I see the communication that he now is trying to give to the corners and the communication. When that happens, the other players man, they feel that. Like Jeremy will help me better by the way he communicates. We'd all like to play with people. Hey Dan, look out for this. Like that's a good thing. And so for a new player like [CB] Marshon [Lattimore] or anybody really to come in, like those leading moments, they help. And so to see some of the leadership develop from within that is what makes me most proud. Knowing that it doesn't have to come from me. I give a look or a signal to go and I know that if I get a message to one person, it'll get to the rest of the team by the end of the drill. And so they're all on the same page here. So I like that a lot.”
On what he’s seen from Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.: “I think coming into it through the draft process, he was actually here and had a visit with us during the spring as well. You found out this is a rare competitor. We knew his path from college to Indiana and out to [University of Washington] and he'd had just a fantastic year. Even though they lost, I would say the game against Michigan, where he just stood in and over and over. I thought, man, this guy is tough. We hadn't even looked at him yet, but it captured me into that spot. And so going into the whole process, you knew this was a talented guy, he could deliver, he could process quickly. And so his way of playing is different than our way of playing where we moved Jayden a lot to do that. Where Michael's more in the traditional way, strong arm can rip it to anywhere. So those were the things, you know, we saw in the draft process and then limited stuff during the preseason. We saw some and then a full on game last week and you saw that arm talent and the strength come through full on.”
On what he got the offensive lineman for Christmas: “Some scooters. It's coming out soon. Got them some electric scooters, so they don't have to walk around as much.”
On his relationship with Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Penix: “Me and Mike are boys. Obviously, we trained together. We went through the draft process together, so we built the relationship over that time and I'm happy for him, you know, he waited his time. He's a phenomenal player in my eyes and, you know, I'm excited to be able to match up against him.”
On the Atlanta Falcons defense: “Yeah, they have a lot of vets that can make plays. You know, you go up front, you got, just naming a few [LB Matthew] Judon, [DT] Grady [Jarrett], and in the back end you got [CB] AJ Terrell, [S] Jesse Bates, [CB] Justin Simmons, guys that have been doing it at a high level for a long time and can make a lot of plays. So, you know, you gotta go out there and you gotta earn it. You gotta be disciplined. You gotta be ready to play four quarters.”