The Falcons are not mathematically eliminated yet, but their starting quarterback is out for the year and an eighth loss of the season to the Jets could put to rest any remaining hopes of staying in the postseason mix.

The Jets have lost five of their last six meetings with the Falcons, beating them just once since 1998 when a rookie named Geno Smith led the Jets on a late drive for a game-winning field goal on national television. Atlanta won a forgettable game 13-8 the last time these teams met.

Let’s break down the Falcons’ roster going position by position:

Second-year quarterback Michael Penix has just had season-ending surgery on a partially torn ACL having led the Falcons to a 3-6 record, so they have pivoted back to Kirk Cousins, who went 7-7 as a starter last year but led the league with 16 interceptions.

So far, Cousins has started two games this year. The first was an overtime loss but he led the Falcons to a comfortable 24-10 win over the Saints on Sunday despite throwing a pick-six.

Cousins’ backup is Easton Stick, who has started four NFL games, but lost all of them.

The Falcons have had good continuity on their offensive line this year as left guard Matthew Bergeron has been the only starter to miss any time. Backup Kyle Hinton started two games in his place.

Veteran left tackle Jake Matthews has started 190 games in 12 years with the Falcons and was a pro bowler in 2018. However, right guard Chris Lindstrom is their best lineman, as he’s been a pro bowler for three straight seasons. Although he’s listed as questionable with a foot injury, it seems likely Lindstrom will play.

The other two starters are center Ryan Neuzil and right tackle Elijah Wilkinson. Wilkinson, who is starting because Kaleb McGary has spent the year on injured reserve, leads the team with nine penalties.

Atlanta also has tackle Michael Jerrell, center Jovaughn Gwyn and seventh round rookie tackle Jack Nelson on their roster.

Bijan Robinson, the former 8th overall pick, went to his first pro bowl last season and is having another big year in 2025. He has over 850 yards, 49 catches and six total touchdowns as he averages five yards per carry.

Stopping Robinson could be the key to the game for the Jets, as Atlanta is 3-0 this year when he has more than 150 yards from scrimmage. They are otherwise 1-7, although the lone win was their most recent game against the Saints.

Tyler Allgeier is a solid change of pace back but he’s been less effective than last season with an average of just 3.6 yards per carry. He has scored eight touchdowns though.

Undrafted rookie Nathan Carter hasn’t played much but has flashed with 60 rushing yards on nine carries.

The Falcons will be without the injured Drake London on Sunday, which is a problem because their only other wide receiver in double-digits for receptions is Darnell Mooney, who has 19. Mooney has shown big-play abilities, though, as he averages almost 16 yards per catch. He was more productive last year, though, as he was eight yards short of a thousand-yard season. London leads the team with 60 catches, over 800 yards and six touchdown catches.

David Sills V could be an option to step up. The 29-year old had his first NFL touchdown catch in the Saints game and has chemistry with Cousins having worked with him in practice a lot.

The Falcons will likely look to get Robinson involved in the passing game and lean on tight end Kyle Pitts, who was a pro bowler four years ago but has underwhelmed in recent years. He does have 49 receptions, but averages less than 10 yards per catch with only one touchdown.

Charlie Woerner is also listed as a starter at tight end but he’s more of a blocking specialist.

The rest of the receiver rotation includes Casey Washington and special teamers Jamal Agnew and Khadarel Hodge. At tight end, Teagan Quitoriano and Feleipe Franks are available for depth.

The Falcons have a mixture of veterans and youngsters on their defensive line as defensive end Leonard Floyd and defensive tackle David Onyemata have recently been joined in the starting lineup by rookie Jalon Walker on the edge and last year’s second round pick Ruke Orhorhoro inside.

Walker, the 15th overall pick in April’s draft, has already made an impression with five sacks. The Falcons also drafted a second defensive end, James Pearce, later on in the first round and he’s recorded four sacks in a backup role.

Defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus was benched for Orhorhoro despite leading the team with six sacks and edge defender Arnold Ebiketie was benched for Walker despite leading the team in sacks last season. Both are still in the rotation, though.

Atlanta have made a few changes in respect of their defensive line depth in recent weeks with Sam Roberts going on injured reserve and Khalid Kareem recently released. Earlier in the year, Zach Harrison was in a starting role and had 4.5 sacks in seven games but he’s also on injured reserve.

Kentavius Street, Elijah Garcia and LaCale London are now filling those depth roles, with Street and London seeing action off the bench last week.

Kaden Elliss has been filling out the stat sheet for the Falcons this year as he leads the team in tackles, quarterback hits and tackles for loss. He’s also added four pass breakups, 3.5 sacks and an interception.

Divine Deablo is the other starter and the converted safety has done a good job against the run.

With Troy Andersen still on the PUP list, Ronnie Harrison has typically been the third linebacker, although JD Bertrand did start two games earlier in the year. Josh Woods is out with an injury.

At cornerback, veterans AJ Terrell and Mike Hughes start on the outside with Dee Alford in the slot. Alford, who leads the team with eight pass breakups, took over as the nickel back from third round rookie Billy Bowman Jr., who is now on injured reserve.

At safety, another third round rookie, Xavier Watts, has stepped in well with three interceptions as he starts alongside veteran Jessie Bates III. Bates, who has six interceptions over the past two seasons, was a pro bowler in 2023.

The backup safeties are DeMarco Hellams and Mike Ford Jr. while, at cornerback, undrafted rookie Cobee Bryant and Natrone Brooks have seen brief action.

The Falcons signed Zane Gonzalez to be their kicker three games ago and he’s made all 12 of his kicks so far. Younghoe Koo and John Parker Romo had also kicked for Atlanta this season.

Veteran punter Bradley Pinion is in his fourth season with Atlanta and is posting modest numbers that are slightly better than his career average.

Agnew is a seasoned return specialist but hasn’t broken many long ones this year, although his longest kickoff return was 45 yards. He also handles punts with Alford backing him up. Brooks and Carter are also kickoff return options.

The Falcons’ punt gunners are Hodge and Ford. Hodge was a pro bowler last season, but Ford is actually their leading tackler this year. Hellams and Franks have also been productive in kick coverage.