Falcons vs. Commanders GAMEDAY Preview: Contenders or Pretenders?

The Washington Commanders host the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, where both their playoff trajectories will change.

The Washington Commanders (6-5) host the Atlanta Falcons (5-6) in Week 12 at FedEx Field in a matchup between two teams fighting for playoff positioning in the NFC.

The Commanders are fresh off a 23-10 victory over the Houston Texans in which their defensive line was relentless. With the impending return of Chase Young, Washington’s defense is more than capable of carrying the team down the stretch.

The team has a different energy since Heinicke took over for the injured Carson Wentz (broken thumb) back in Week 7 and coach Ron Rivera confirmed that Heinicke will be the team's new starting quarterback. Since replacing Wentz, Heinicke has led the Commanders to a 4-1 mark and has the team over .500 for the first time since Week 1.

The Atlanta Falcons are coming off a 27-24 victory over the Chicago Bears in which there was good and bad news.  Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson stole the show and set the NFL record with his 9th career kickoff return for a touchdown (103 yard touchdown return.) The bad news? Tight end Kyle Pitts tore his MCL and was placed on the injured reserve list Monday.

The Commanders are in a fight for a wild card playoffs spot despite being last in the surprisingly-competitive NFC East. As are the Falcons, currently second in the NFC South. 

IMPORTANT INJURY NOTE: Young - the 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and arguably the team's best player - could make his season debut this Sunday vs. Atlanta. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft tore his right ACL last season in a Nov. 14 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

RECORDS: Washington Commanders (6-5) vs. Atlanta Falcons (5-6)

ODDS: Washington is 4.5-point favorites vs. the Falcons.

GAME TIME: Sunday, November 27th, 2022, at 1 p.m. ET

LOCATION: FedEx Field (North Englewood, MD)

TV: FOX

THE FINAL WORD: Montez Sweat detailed the mindset of Washington's defense, which totaled five sacks and nine tackles for loss against Houston. 

"It's a race to the quarterback," Sweat said. "When we see one guy get one, we get hungry, we get motivated, so it's a lot of motivation out there."

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