 Hello everyone and welcome back to the Falcons final whistle podcast now. I know what you are thinking This is not the voice of Scott bear and you would be correct. This is not Scott bear. This is Tori McElhaney I'm here with Ash Edmunds. And yes, there is no Scott bear He's going to be inactive for a little bit and Scott if you're listening one high and two see you soon We miss you But all of that aside, let's actually get into this game right off the bat this 27-24 win against the Bears at home Ashton, you are not a cross for me, but you are in a different Radio booth at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. We are currently trying to make this work via zoom So Ashton for you What were kind of your major takeaways from from this win that I felt like kind of had a little bit of everything Yeah, for sure I think my one of my biggest takeaways and I think it was obvious but just containing Justin Fields last week He had a hundred and forty seven rushing yards alone this week the Bears rushing attack only had 160 all together And and the Falcons did a great job at just limiting his running ability I think he finished with 85 yards under a hundred yards He's just you know over the last two weeks like you said he's been going on its hair and I think you know what DMP said this past week about just containing Justin Fields And with Arthur Arthur Smith was emphasizing all week You know, I think the Falcons defense really came out and did that really well today and you know post game players You know, they were people like Grady Jarrett people like Jay LaHawkins You know, they were just saying that they came together as a unit And you know, you could see that on the field today against the Bears They truly, you know stuck together until the end they played through all four quarters It was like you said it was some it was some minor mistakes here and there But I think the Falcons finished really strong at the end and just containing Do a third quarterback like Justin Fields was very very important today. I would say Yeah, no, I absolutely agree and this is something that we're actually gonna get into a bit more in depth and detail later in the Podcast, but I think for me when I look back on this game. It was definitely a defensive story I felt like I mean I wrote that after the game My whole story was about the defense and what I thought they were able to do on Sunday in the win But I also I think something that's gonna be Overlooked to a certain extent in this game is how balanced the Falcons offense was I was very surprised by the balance of which I saw this offensive half because you're coming off of a game where Marcus Marriota, let's be honest didn't play at the level He knows he needs to play the Falcons know he needs to play and the Falcons have over the course of this year Really relied on the run And so when you're looking at coming into this game with two teams that you know for a factor of wanting to run the ball at a Exceptionally high clip two of the leading rushing offenses in the league I mean you you knew what the game plan was coming in and I thought the fact that the Falcons I thought did a really good job Offensively of creating a more balanced attack in a way that we really haven't seen them do in I'm gonna be honest the last probably four or five weeks So that for me that for me was something that I kind of just took from this game defensive stuff aside but we are going to get into and this is we're leading this podcast off with the The play and the moment that I feel like everyone is talking about and not just everyone for the Falcons and in the Falcons fandom But also everyone I think Looking at the Falcons from the league at large and and that moment is in the second quarter Cordero Patterson, he he breaks away on a 19-yard run and gets the ball punched out of his hands and the Bears go and Score a touchdown and lead at I think it was 17-7 with Yep, yeah with about four minutes and 30 seconds left in in the second quarter And they kick off and CP the ball and the ball lands in his hands And he proceeds to run the ball back for a 103 yard kickoff return for a touchdown That is the ninth of his career and it's a new NFL record Ashton you were actually in the locker room talking to CP after the game What were his I guess emotions like because I feel like this was a very emotional moment for him to kind of I don't know He's in the record books now in terms of the league at large I mean, I feel like that in and of itself is a pretty emotional Moment for him. Yeah, for sure CP was such in a great move. Um, he was just so happy I think you know, he was just I think that moment for him was just really surreal for him You know, like he mentioned guys like Josh cribs and Leon Washington I'm who are amazing, you know kickoff and pump returners, you know He he gave them credit and he he said that, you know, I'm sure these guys are happy for me But he was just so honored to be in this position. Um, he was honored to have people mention, you know, Hall of Fame Like mentioning him in Hall of Fame Um, uh, what's the Hall of Fame? Uh, yeah, just context. Yeah. Yeah. Just conversation Concepts, but um overall cordel was was such in a great mood He said that he was going to give the game ball to his kid or the kickoff ball to his kids and You know, he he was he was just, you know Just such in a in an amazing move But I think, you know, the main thing that he talked about was just the team and how the team came together Um, and and how he didn't do well on that fumble. Um, because he said when he was on the sideline, you know It was kind of replaying in his head and it was kind of getting to him But he said as a football player you can't do well in those type of thing those types of things and you know When the ball landed in cp's hands, I mean he he literally, you know took off and it was it was to the races from there But he was surprised that the Bears kicked this one. Um, he was happy that they did because he knew Once he got the ball back in the sands, you know, he was going to make a play for the Falcons Yeah, what's interesting is I think I tweeted this a couple times just talking about how You know cp an angry cp is not somebody that you want to be running full speed at you And I guarantee you after that fumble like there was kind of a flip switched of like, you know what? I'm gonna take this to the house like I have nothing to lose I am I'm going all the way and and and he did and what I'll say too Was really interesting after the game was hearing his teammates talk about him And you know, Arthur Smith, of course always speaks very highly of cordial Patterson and what he's been able to do for the Falcons The last two years But it was funny because marcus mariota talked about it And he he kind of said the exact same thing where it was like it You could feel when cp ran out there and the ball landed in his hands that he was gonna return it And then I think it was grady jared Who also was asked about kind of being on the field for that moment because it is a history making moment He even said he was like We are a different team with cordial Patterson on the field with us and I thought that was A fantastic quote because I do think that it's true We have seen games where cp has not been active as he was on ir and missed four games had to have that knee surgery procedure and The Falcons missed him and even though the Falcons were still able to run the ball I think had a relatively good in productive clip without cp there There are just things that cp does that especially over the last two years You look at kind of this guy who has a decade long career in the league and has had like this renaissance for himself It's very fascinating because he just he's still explosive And I think that is something that you always hear Especially these type of playmakers for for running backs receivers that they lose a certain sense of explosiveness as they age I don't think we can say that about cp. I think he is just as explosive If not more so now then maybe he was eight years ago Yep, and that's something that he emphasized in the locker room. It's like he still has so much football ahead of him um I think he somebody made a joke about him like once he reached and the nine kickoff return touchdown that he was You know that he'll be done with special teams, but he was like no, I still got many more left to me Says he has fresh legs and like you said He's a senior vet, but like it seems like he gets more and more explosive By the year, so um, it was just great to see cp reached his milestone. Um, and you know It truly was definitely a turning point in the game for the falcons Yeah, absolutely and another not necessarily a turning point But something that you've already mentioned that I think we're going to go into more depth here is the fact that this defense I thought played as Collective and as productive as we have seen them play especially in the last four weeks But I mean I would go as far as even to say that this defense performs At a level today that I would put up there with a few of their wins the browns win The 49ers win they I thought this defense came in with a very specific game plan And that was something that I was talking to Abdullah Anderson about After the game where he We were talking and he kind of was talking about how they felt like they needed That win and they needed to do it in a way that they were holding Justin Fields because Let's be honest They're coming off of a loss to carolina where they allowed carolina to run for over 200 yards You knew that you were facing a bears offense That had a very specific game plan in that they also want to run the ball at a very high clip They're the number one brushing offense in the league So all of that to say that the falcons knew what they were getting into with this game And it was funny because the way that abdulla anderson was talking it really made it feel like The falcons game plan was to make sure that Justin Fields Didn't beat them and I I think that was like that to me was something that rang true I think in many of my conversations with some of the defenders in the locker room and you know Just the the stats of it is is very interesting because like what you said They held Justin Fields to 85 rushing yards held the bears offense to 160 rushing yards And I know both of those stat lines seem like a lot But I think we have to put it in the context of the bears Haven't been below 200 rushing yards as an offense in over five weeks And that's also the lowest per carry average for Justin Fields since week two Week two that's so that to me in and of itself should show you kind of what the falcons were able to do this week against Against this team after playing the way that they played against carolina Now what's interesting in all this as well is that they did it with some guys that I guarantee you a lot of people Don't know and couldn't name just by looking at them. And I'm talking about abdulla anderson I'm talking about jaylon dalton. I'm talking about timmy horn These are guys who at one point or another were bubble guys You didn't think that they may even have had a chance to make the team I mean heck jaylon dalton was cut after the pre season So these are all guys who the falcons have kind of collected and pieced together Over the course of this season and this off season And it's really interesting to see them work alongside grady jarrett because You see taquan graham go down with a knee injury and we don't have an update on that And you hope that it's something that he can come back from but he was carted off And so you really were relying on your depth at defensive line and I will say this It's very interesting to see this evolution Of this position group specifically because if you think about it, this is not the way this group was originally supposed to look Before the season started you had yes, you had grady jarrett and taquan graham coming back But you also had anthony rush and marlon davidson and vincent taylor three of those five guys are no longer even available or on the team Because of that like that's that's wild to me because now you have taquan graham going out And three guys who I think a lot of people wouldn't be able to name in a lineup Like that's really what it feels like and so all of that to say As in the question I have is like what does this say about the depth like that? Excuse me What does this say about the depth that this defensive line has accrued this year? Yeah, for sure. Um I think you hit it the nail on the head But um, I would say all of these all of the guys that you mentioned, you know when their name was called They stepped up to the plate. Um, you know, taquan graham, you know, he went down That was a terrible loss for the team But like you said Abdullah, um, timmy and in jail and they all stepped up and they and they were a force on that defensive line today And we saw that, you know, that was clear was evident. Um, and it was like you said these were bubble players But, you know, these guys what what they've showed today alongside greaty jared Is that they can play in it that they can compete at a high level and um, I think that's what we needed to see Because you know injuries do happen injuries do happen with whether it's a A key player or or not, you know Players have to be everybody on the 53 man roster has to be ready to step up and I feel like those three guys Alongside greaty jared and they just they did amazing today And I had it solved to them for sure Yeah, and I think it really was, you know, we can talk all day long about the defensive line But I also think you have to give credit where credit is due to the guys around them too. I thought lorenzo carter arnold ebacchetti Aude ogendage, I thought they played a really good game. I also thought your inside linebackers michael walker rashawn evans Troy anderson had one of the best plays. I thought of the whole entire day that is probably going to go overlooked But it was a yeah important third downstop. So all of that to say like I was very Impressed by what we saw this defense do today And I know people are going to look at the stats and be like, how are you impressed? Like this is a pretty normal rushing attack and but it's not when you think in the context of All of these things that we've been talking about so all all of that we we've hit on cp We've hit hit on this defense now in true scott bear form We've got to look ahead And we've got to ask the question of what's next kind of for the falcons and right now falcons are five and six They have two weeks to go until the bye week. Good lord. I need the bye week to get here. I am so tired I can only imagine how these players feel But they have to face the commanders and the steelers before we get to the bye week now With the wind today, they have extended their lead in the nsc south t2 games ahead of the panthers and a game ahead of the saints The bucks are on a bye this week and sit at five and five So they're still technically leading the division now This really feels like When we talk about this division that it's going to come down to the wire I feel like we've kind of been talking about this on every post game podcast for the last few weeks Because it really does feel like it's anyone's Division at this point. I mean Ashton with with two games to go until the bye week How important are these games as we really get into the back half of this season? Yeah, for sure. I think for one this commander's game is extremely important We've seen how they played over the last two weeks. They beat the eagle. They snapped the equals That was that was big and nobody i'm sure nobody had The the commander's winning that game because just because of you know, you look at their record you look at the equals record But um, you know, heineke he's he stepped up his quarterback and you see the team coming around him and You see the chemistry starting to just grow and flow within that team And I think if the falcons can win against the commanders, um, they can capitalize Against this washington team that's been doing amazing these last two weeks I think the momentum will continue to grow. Um, and it's good We have aj to row back, which was amazing for the defense. Um, I think just his veteran leadership and his presence Definitely provided something for the defense as well as you know Guys like rashaun evans and guys like evikati and gradey jerry, you know, everybody that stepped up, but um, I think this one I mean, I think this week going into Going against the washington commanders. This is going to be very very important and of course against the stiller's team um, I just think you know Of course the falcons have to take it week by week Um, but I think starting with the win against the commanders will I feel like eventually lead into a win against the kinsburg stillers Yeah, here's the thing about these next two games. Like I feel like on paper Yes, they're winnable games, but as we've seen in this league It doesn't matter who's the top contender on paper. It really doesn't matter Everybody can be anybody on indian sunday. We have seen that happen this year I mean that that's what's so fascinating about the league right now. I I love it It makes for really good good games in my opinion But when I look at these next two games for the falcons, it really boils down to the fact that I don't think they can drop them I don't think that they can afford To lose to either the commanders or the stillers in the next two weeks You need to be able to go from this point on which is only two games to go undefeated to get to the bye week if The falcons would have beat carolina on thursday night I probably would feel a little bit differently But they didn't they lost and so I think because of that i'm putting more Pressure I essentially on the falcons to beat the commanders and the stillers so that you do go into the bye week Feeling pretty good and essentially you would get to over 500 because you're at five and six right now If you beat both of those teams that's Simple math seven and six the falcons would be above 500 for the first time in a very long time so I say all of that because I really do put a lot on these next two weeks. I think the falcons it was important that they won this game I think they got that got the next three weeks On the right track with a win here, especially to do it In a way that I thought was a very collective win Especially after the way the first half kind of started But I I do think that this is something That we're going to look back on After the bye week according to how these next two weeks go And feel it's going to make us feel very differently about the back half of this season once you do get past the bye week So That is nice feel We are going to let you get on with your day I hope that you are having a good one. It's probably you're listening to this on monday Which is the best time to listen to a post game podcast We again, we wish scott all the best. He's inactive for a little bit, but we're hoping to get him back really soon Thank you for joining us and do all the things that scott bear tells you to do all the time Like subscribe leave a comment. Just make sure you listen honestly. I'm not picky But all of that to say thank you for joining us and we will be back next week as we return from Washington DC looking forward to that one