PAUL NEWBERRY

AP National Writer
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins greets Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) after an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Atlanta. The Falcons won 27-21. (AP Photo/ Brynn Anderson)
Cousins throws 3 TD passes, 1st-place Falcons hand Cowboys 3rd straight loss, 27-21
Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes and the Atlanta Falcons maintained their hold on first place in the NFC South with a 27-21 victory over the struggling Cowboys.
 
Atlanta United forward Xande Silva (16) celebrates his goal during stoppage time in the second half of an MLS soccer match against Inter Miami, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
Silva scores in stoppage time, Atlanta rallies to beat Messi’s Miami 2-1 to even playoff series
Xande Silva scored with about a minute to go in stoppage time shortly after a goal by Lionel Messi was waved off by a clear offside, giving ninth-seeded Atlanta United a 2-1 victory over Inter Miami and evening the best-of-three MLS playoff series at one game apiece.
 
Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) goes up for a layup guarded by Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
Atlanta’s No. 1 pick Risacher hits 1st NBA shot, vows to get ‘better and better and better’
For Zaccharie Risacher, it was the perfect start to an NBA career of such promise. A wide-open look from outside the 3-point stripe, Nothing but net.
 
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins walks off the field following the Falcons' loss to Seattle Seahawks in an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/ Mike Stewart )
Falcons still have work to do to challenge for a spot among the NFL’s elite teams
A three-game winning streak had the Atlanta Falcons looking like a team that was poised to challenge for a spot among the NFL elite. A sobering loss to the Seattle Seahawks showed they still haven’t figured out how to succeed on a consistent basis.
 
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) reacts after sacking Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/ Brynn Anderson )
Smith throws 2 TD passes, Seahawks defense dominates in a 34-14 win over the Falcons
Geno Smith passed for two touchdowns and Derick Hall returned a fumble 36 yards for a clinching score as the Seattle Seahawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 34-14 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
 
Pass intended for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (1) was incomplete against Carolina Panthers safety Xavier Woods (25) in the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Falcons host Seahawks in meeting of teams heading in opposite directions
After a sluggish beginning to the Kirk Cousins era, the Atlanta Falcons have ripped off three straight victories to bolster hopes of their first winning season and playoff appearance since 2017.
 
Georgia Tech running back Jamal Haynes (11) celebrates after he scored the winning touchdown on a long run in the closing seconds of an NCAA college football game against North Carolina, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Georgia-Georgia Tech game heading to home of NFL’s Falcons in 2025
Looking to boost revenue, Georgia Tech has agreed to move its 2025 game against rival Georgia to the home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
 
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) celebrates with the fans after the team defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during overtime in an NFL football game Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Cousins throws for 509 yards, hits Hodge in OT to give Falcons 36-30 win over Bucs
Kirk Cousins threw for a career-high 509 yards and four touchdowns, the last of them a 45-yard scoring pass to KhaDarel Hodge in overtime that gave the Atlanta Falcons an improbable 36-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
 
FILE - A view of Memorial Stadium is seen, Oct. 30, 2021, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Hakim Wright Sr., File)
The Savannah Bananas are heading to the gridiron in 2025, including Clemson’s Death Valley
The Savannah Bananas are taking their baseball hijinks to the gridiron in 2025. Team owner Jesse Cole says the barnstorming squad will bring its freewheeling version of the game known as Banana Ball to Clemson’s 81,000-seat Memorial Stadium on April 26.
 
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart runs to a referee to discuss a call during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
No. 5 Georgia in bounce-back mode facing Auburn in Deep South’s oldest rivalry
These are strange times for the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs. For the first time since 2020, they are looking to bounce back from a loss in the midst of the season.
 
The Atlanta Braves celebrate in the locker room after clinching a wild-card playoff berth after the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
Braves heading back to the playoffs after a season of adversity
After a season that didn’t go nearly as planned, the Atlanta Braves find themselves back in a familiar spot. The postseason.
 
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) runs out of the pocket against New Orleans Saints defensive end Chase Young (99) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Falcons pull out a win that puts a much more positive spin on their opening month
Kirk Cousins knows how important it is for the Atlanta Falcons to pull out a win against the New Orleans Saints.
 
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
Braves ace Chris Sale out for Wild Card Series vs Padres after being scratched in season finale
Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale is out for the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres because of back issues.
 
The New York Mets celebrate in the locker room after clinching a playoff berth with a victory in the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
Mets reach playoffs, beat Braves to cap comeback from 22-33 start
Four months after falling 11 games under .500, the New York Mets earned a playoff berth a day after the regular season was supposed to end.
 
The New York Mets celebrate in the locker room after clinching a playoff berth with a victory in the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
Braves salvage playoff berth with 3-0 win over the Mets, who win thrilling opener 8-7 to clinch
The Atlanta Braves bounced back from a stunning loss in the first game of a makeup doubleheader, claiming the last postseason berth with a 3-0 win over the Mets in the nightcap Monday after New York clinched a playoffs trip with an 8-7 victory in the opener.
 
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr, center, speaks on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Back to reality for the Saints after another close loss, this one to the Falcons
The first two weeks of the season, the New Orleans Saints looked unbeatable. Now, back to reality. The Saints let one slip away for the second week in a row, taking the type of loss that can “rip your heart out,” in the words of coach Dennis Allen.
 
Atlanta Falcons place kicker Younghoe Koo, of South Korea, kicks a game winning 58-yard field goal against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Younghoe Koo’s 58-yard field goal with 2 seconds left gives Falcons 26-24 win over Saints
Younghoe Koo kicked a 58-yard field goal with two seconds remaining and the Atlanta Falcons rallied for a 26-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints without scoring an offensive touchdown.
 
Atlanta Braves' Travis d'Arnaud rounds second base after hitting a walkoff home run to win a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
D’Arnaud hits a walk-off homer as Braves keep up their playoff push with a 2-1 win over Royals
Travis d’Arnaud hit a home run in the ninth inning and the Atlanta Braves kept up their postseason push with a 2-1 win over the playoff-bound Kansas City Royals.
 
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., center has champagne poured on him by teammates during the celebration in the locker room after a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
Royals complete remarkable turnaround, making playoffs coming off 106-loss season
The Kansas City Royals have completed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in major league history, clinching an American League wild card despite a 3-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The Royals matched a franchise record with 106 losses last season.
 
New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga (75) looks up at the scoreboard after the Philadelphia Eagles stopped the Saints' final drive with an interception in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Which teams will show up when the Falcons meet the Saints in an NFC South showdown?
The New Orleans Saints looked dominant the first two weeks of the season. Then they got a jarring dose of reality. As for the Atlanta Falcons, they’re still trying to establish an identity.
 
A tarp covers the infield as rain comes down at Truist Park after the baseball game between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves as postponed, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Atlanta. The Mets-Braves games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday are postponed and will be made up as a doubleheader Monday, Sept. 30. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)
Mets and Braves to play doubleheader on Monday after forecast washes out rest of pivotal series
The last two games of the pivotal series between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves have been postponed due to the forecast for inclement weather. New York, Atlanta and Arizona are battling for the last two NL wild cards.
 
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) works in the pocket against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Falcons squander a prime-time chance to show they’re a team on the rise in the NFL
Three weeks into the season, the Atlanta Falcons had a chance to establish themselves as a team on the rise in the NFL. In what has been a familiar refrain for this middling franchise, they let it slip away.
 
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart runs off the field following an NCAA college football game against Kentucky, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Kirby Smart no longer has to fret about his mentor-turned-nemesis in Tuscaloosa
Kirby Smart no longer has to worry about his mentor-turned-nemesis in Tuscaloosa. Somewhere, deep in his gut, the Georgia coach might be a bit relieved that Nick Saban is now wearing a microphone at the broadcast table rather than a headset on the sideline.
 
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins speaks with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes after an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Atlanta. The Kansas City Chiefs 22-17. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Mahomes throws 2 touchdown passes and the Chiefs’ defense preserves a 22-17 win over the Falcons
Patrick Mahomes threw a pair of touchdown passes and Kansas City’s defense made a couple of late stands to keep the Chiefs unbeaten with a 22-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
 
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins is stopped by Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham (55) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Chiefs’ Mahomes leads reigning champs into Atlanta to face Cousins and rejuvenated Falcons
Patrick Mahomes has guided the Kansas City Chiefs to two straight Super Bowl titles and two consecutive wins to open the season. There’s no shortage of swagger in his game.
 
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi talks to a teammate during the second half of a MLS soccer match against Atlanta United Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Miranchuk scores in 84th minute to lift Atlanta United to 2-2 tie with Messi’s Inter Miami
Alexey Miranchuk scored on a booming shot in the 84th minute to give Atlanta United a 2-2 tie with MLS-leading Inter Miami, which brought on Lionel Messi as a substitute.
 
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) kicks the ball away from Philadelphia Union midfielder Leon Flach (31) during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Lionel Messi not in the starting lineup for Inter Miami’s game in Atlanta
Lionel Messi is not in the starting lineup for Inter Miami’s game at Atlanta United. With the Herons playing their second of three games within a week, Messi will begin the match on the bench.
 
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins warms up before an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Cousins suddenly looks like a $180 million QB leading Falcons’ shocker in Philly
With a year of high hopes on the cusp of a 0-2 start, Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons suddenly found their mojo. The result was a game-winning drive that gave this season a whole new perspective.
 
Veilleux throws TD pass with 15 seconds remaining, Georgia State beats Vanderbilt 36-32
Christian Veilleux threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Ted Hurst with 15 seconds remaining, capping a wild fourth quarter that gave Georgia State a stunning 36-32 victory over Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference.
 
Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King (10) throws on the run during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Virginia Military Institute Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Haynes King throws 3 TD passes as Georgia Tech routs VMI 59-7
Haynes King threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns while playing only the first half, backup quarterback Zach Pyron scored on a couple of 1-yard runs and Georgia Tech routed VMI 59-7.
 
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