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The Atlanta Falcons are affectionately known as the 'Dirty Birds', and it apparently extends to their mascot as well. Freddie Falcon, the official name of the team mascot, made the news. The mascot bizarrely tried to fight a kid during a staged pee wee game at halftime of the Week 7 game between the Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals.
NFL Twitter, not to ever disappoint, quickly took to the social media waves to react to the weird moment between the bird and young fans:
Come for the football game, stay for the wrestling brawl breakout:
Other fans took the opportunity to take random shots at NFL defensive players:
Most noticed the young kid’s teammates coming to his back to defend him:
The Atlanta Falcons remain in the playoff race despite offensive shortcomings
Despite losing their franchise quarterback Matt Ryan, the Atlanta Falcons remain in the playoff race. This is thanks to some upset wins and a weaker NFC South division in the early part of the 2022 regular season.
The 3-4 Falcons continue to rely on their solid defense and commitment to the running game to control the ball and limit mistakes. They roster two of the more talented skill players in tight end Kyle Pitts and rookie wide receiver Drake London. However, the team under head coach Arthur Smith continues to rely on its ground attack.
The Falcons upset teams like the Seattle Seahawks, the Cleveland Browns, and even the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6. This has them sitting tied for first place with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South. Their losses have come to the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, and the Buccaneers, so despite the sub .500 record, Atlanta finished a difficult portion of their schedule.
Up next on tap for the Falcons are the Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, Panthers again, the Chicago Bears, and Washington Commanders. Then they face the Pittsburgh Steelers before their bye week in Week 14. Conceivably, the team could easily go 5-1 during this slate of games to further contend in the division and the conference.
If the running game continues to excel and the defense holds up, the Atlanta Falcons would be an unexpected contender coming out of the South.
