Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Wednesday, Jan. 5

How you holdin’ up midweek after the holidays? Dragging, as well? No better time to peruse some Falcoholinks, then.

Falcons - Bills recap

The Falcons’ playoff hopes met a wintry end on Sunday — not that they were ever more than an outside shot pipedream anyway. This one featured one massive head-scratcher from the officiating crew and a defense that came to take the ball away.

Mining through the snap counts brought two revelations: tight end Parker Hesse was the team’s leading receiving after halftime (due in large part to Kyle Pitts’ injury), and reserve guard Colby Gossett replacing Jalen Mayfield for three snaps and then getting sucked into a wormhole.

The Falcoholic Podcast in the wake of this one gave credit where it was due: Atlanta fought hard with a ramshackle squad in squalid conditions against one of the better teams in the AFC, in spite of the final outcome.

Saints on deck for the finale

Can the Falcons play spoiler to the Saints’ season? They’ll have a shot on Sunday — and it won’t be the first time, either. Atlanta opened as 4.5-point underdogs for their season finale, a game that the NFL has flexed to the mid-afternoon slot in light of its playoff implications for New Orleans.

RB coach Des Kitchings heads to college

The Falcons will be on the market for a new running backs coach this offseason, as Des Kitchings is headed to the University of Virginia as its new offensive coordinator.

Draft things

With Atlanta’s loss, they’re currently sitting at No. 10 on the 2022 NFL Draft board. We’ve got a Week 18 mock draft teed up for you with the Falcons’ standing at the moment.