Falcons try to win their second straight road game when they face the Cardinals

By Canadian Press on December 18, 2025.

Atlanta (5-9) at Arizona (3-11)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, Fox.

BetMGM NFL odds: Falcons by 3.

Against the spread: Falcons 6-7-1, Cardinals 6-8.

Series record: Cardinals lead 18-16.

Last meeting: Cardinals beat the Falcons 25-23 on Nov. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona.

Last week: Falcons beat the Bucs 29-28; Cardinals lost to the Falcons 40-20.

Falcons offense: overall (14), rush (12), pass (16), scoring (26).

Falcons defense: overall (15), rush (25), pass (9), scoring (22)

Cardinals offense: overall (17), rush (26), pass (7), scoring (21).

Cardinals defense: overall (26), rush (21), pass (21), scoring (27).

Turnover differential: Falcons plus-2; Cardinals minus-1.

Falcons player to watch

RB Bijan Robinson. He needs 142 combined rushing and receiving yards to become only the third player in franchise history to record 2,000 yards from scrimmage. He would join Jamal Anderson (1998) and William Andrews (1981 and 1983). Robinson has rushed for 1,174 yards with six touchdowns and has 64 catches for 684 yards and two touchdowns. Robinson’s average of 132.7 scrimmage yards per game leads the NFL.

Cardinals player to watch

TE Trey McBride. He continues to put up great performances during a brutal season in the desert. McBride caught 12 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s loss to the Texans, bringing his season totals to 105 receptions for 1,072 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has caught at least five passes in 16 straight games dating to last season, breaking the league record for tight ends that was previously held by Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, who had a 15-game streak.

Key matchup

Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett has piled up big numbers this season, throwing for 2,708 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions despite starting just nine games. Now the veteran will go against a Falcons defense that’s No. 9 against the pass this season.

Key injuries

Falcons: CB Mike Hughes will miss the game with a sprained ankle. Undrafted rookie Cobee Bryant could make his first start. … WR Drake London, who has missed four games with a knee injury, returned to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday.

Cardinals: CB Darren Hall (concussion), LT Paris Johnson Jr. (knee), CB Max Melton (heel) and S Jalen Thompson (hamstring) were among those who didn’t practice on Wednesday. … WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (heel), LB Cody Simon (knee/ankle), S Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (ankle) and WR Xavier Weaver (hamstring) were limited.

Series notes

The Falcons have won six of the last nine meetings against the Cardinals dating to 2010.

Stats and stuff

The Falcons are playing their final road game of the season. They close with home games against the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans. … The Falcons have already locked in their eighth straight losing season since their last playoff season in 2017. … Falcons edge rushers James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker lead NFL rookies in sacks with eight and 5 1/2, respectively. Pearce has sacks in six consecutive games. … With three TD passes last week against Tampa Bay, Kirk Cousins is tied with Carson Palmer for 15th all-time with 294. Cousins passed Warren Moon (291) last week. … TE Kyle Pitts set career highs with 11 catches, 166 yards receiving and three touchdowns last week. It was the most yards receiving by a tight end this season. … The Falcons have 48 sacks, seven away from their franchise record 55 in 1997, since sacks became an official statistic in 1982. … Atlanta has had 16 players record a full sack, the most in the league. … This is the final home game for the Cardinals this season. They are 1-6 at State Farm Stadium so far. … McBride is 11 catches shy of breaking the franchise record for catches in a season. He needs 12 more catches to set the NFL record for a tight end in a season. … Since Week 6, Brissett leads the NFL in yards passing, completions and first downs. He’s second in TD passes. … DL Calais Campbell blocked the 10th field goal of his career in last week’s game against the Texans. He’s one of just three players in NFL history with at least 10 blocked field goals and the only active player to reach the mark. … The Cardinals have had 77 players appear in at least one game this season, which leads the NFL. … Cardinals S Budda Baker has 101 tackles this season. It’s his sixth season with at least 100.

Fantasy tip

It’s a good time to have any Falcons skill position player on your fantasy roster. The Cardinals’ defense has been awful over the last six contests, giving up more than 36 points per game.

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The Associated Press