The Atlanta Falcons went into Sunday's Week 16 game against the Arizona Cardinals looking to break a 24-year losing streak in Arizona.
Dating back to the 2001 season, the Falcons hadn't beaten the Cardinals in the desert. They had lost five straight games over that span, with four of those games ending in one-score defeats.
Fortunately, big games from Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, sealed with a diving C.J. Henderson interception, ended it.
Atlanta Falcons long losing streak in the desert comes to a merciless end
Chris Chandler was the last Falcons quarterback to beat the Cardinals on the road. In a blowout win on September 30, 2001, the 14-year veteran had a strong game, going 20-for-28 for 286 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.
On the other side, things didn't go great for the Cardinals QB Jake Plummer. The fifth-year passer went 23-for-35 for 276 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
Interestingly enough, the Cardinals' leading rusher was Michael Pittman, the father of Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr., who had seven carries for 53 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Falcons' star RB Jamal Anderson only carried the ball four times for six yards; Maurice Smith led them with 21 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown.
After that 20-point win, the Dirty Birds would go on to lose their next five games in Arizona by a combined 26 points, including a three-point loss in the 2008 NFC Wild Card game.
- ATL 27, ARI 30 (OT) (2007 season)
- ATL 24, ARI 30 (2008)
- ATL 13, ARI 27 (2013)
- ATL 33, ARI 34 (2019)
- ATL 23, ARI 25 (2023)
In 2007, QB Chris Redman (315 yds) went blow-for-blow with Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner (369 yds), with Roddy White (141 yds) and Anquan Boldin (161 yds) having huge games.
Matt Ryan was the starter in the next three games. He struggled in his first two matchups, which included a playoff start as a rookie, as he went a combined 60-for-101 for 500 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also led his team in rushing in the latter matchup with 13 yards.
Ryan's struggles ended in 2019 when he went 30-for-36 for 356 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Unfortunately, Matt Bryant missed the game-tying PAT.
The most recent matchup was anything but exciting, with Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder combining for 70 passing yards and a touchdown. Now, the Falcons don't have to worry about the losing streak after winning 26-19 this week.
With a seven-point win, the Falcons now hold the advantage in point differential going back to 2001, despite going 2-5 over that time. Interestingly enough, the Falcons hold a ten-game winning streak over the Cardinals in Atlanta, dating back to 1994. They have outscored them by 147 points.
Unless these two teams finish the 2025 or 2026 season with the same-place division finisher, they won't see each other until 2028, when the Falcons would host.