DOWN X DOWN › week 13 › Lions at Falcons
Updated Nov 3, 9:16 AM ET
2026
2026this season2025final

Week 13 · Sunday 1:00 PM ET · Mercedes-Benz Stadium

DETvsATL

Lions offensevsFalcons defense

Season numbers through Week 8: 7 games for Lions, 8 for Falcons. Ranks are out of 32; #1 is the best offense or the stingiest defense.

DET offenseATL offense
Keys to the game · where this matchup tilts, from the season numbers4 reads
01
Biggest edge

Ground game edge

Lions average 4.7 yards per carry (6th). Falcons allow 4.6 (26th).

02
Opportunity

Deep left is open

Falcons are worst against deep left throws, allowing +0.17 EPA per attempt. Lions send 6% of their throws there. That is a small part of their offense so far.

03
Watch out

Third downs favor Falcons

Lions convert 39% of third downs (21st). Falcons allow 42% (18th).

04
Wash

EPA per play

Call this one even. Lions average +0.12 EPA per play (6th). Falcons allow -0.04 (11th). League average is +0.00.

Players to watch

DET Lions

16Jared GoffQB · 168/248 · 1964 yds · 15 TD · 1 INTEPA per dropback +0.27 · 6th0Jahmyr GibbsRB · 157 car · 773 yds · 10 TD · 34 recEPA per touch -0.01 · 24th14Amon-Ra St. BrownWR · 53 rec · 571 yds · 5 TD · 76 tgtEPA per target +0.3187Sam LaPortaTE · 31 rec · 367 yds · 3 TD · 44 tgtEPA per target +0.74 · 2nd97Aidan HutchinsonLeft Defensive End · 20 tackles · 5 sacks · 1 PD5 sacks · T-12th in the NFL55Derrick BarnesWeakside Linebacker · 34 tackles · 3 sacks · 1 INT · 2 PD3 sacks

ATL Falcons

9Michael Penix Jr.QB · 104/168 · 1282 yds · 9 TD · 5 INTEPA per dropback +0.02 · 21st7Bijan RobinsonRB · 150 car · 780 yds · 5 TD · 25 recEPA per touch -0.075Drake LondonWR · 39 rec · 624 yds · 1 TD · 62 tgtEPA per target +0.408Kyle PittsTE · 22 rec · 197 yds · 4 TD · 32 tgtEPA per target +0.0653Kendal DanielsLeft Inside Linebacker · 52 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 2 PD1 INT26C.J. HendersonRight Cornerback · 39 tackles · 8 PD8 passes defended · T-7th in the NFL
The series · Lions and Falcons since 1999, and this season's records13 meetings

The Falcons lead the series 7–6 since 1999 (they first met in 2000). Sep 24, 2023, at Ford Field: the Lions won 20–6. Jared Goff started at quarterback for the Lions and Desmond Ridder for the Falcons; Dan Campbell and Arthur Smith coached.

Lions at home3–4the Lions' record
In Atlanta2–3the Lions' record
Most pointsLions 30 · Falcons 362006 · 2002
Biggest winLions by 16 · Falcons by 212006 · 2002

The last 5

2023 · Wk 3ATL 6 at DET 20
2021 · Wk 16DET 16 at ATL 20
2020 · Wk 7DET 23 at ATL 22
2017 · Wk 3ATL 30 at DET 26
2014 · Wk 8DET 22 at ATL 21

2026 records

LionsFalcons
Overall5–23–5
Division2–01–2
Conference4–13–3
Other conference1–10–2
Home4–01–3
Away1–22–2
Last 5WLWWWWLLWL
StreakWon 3Lost 1
Points a game29.0 – 25.721.4 – 23.6

Every meeting since 1999, regular season and playoffs, from nflverse's game list, which starts in 1999; the all-time series goes back further. Franchises that moved count as one team (the Raiders, Chargers and Rams). Home and away are from the Lions' side. Records are this regular season.

The lineups · Lions offense against the Falcons defenseDepth charts
Falcons defense · 3-4 DLions offense · 3WR 1TE58Sewell73Mahogany64Mays69RatledgeMiller87LaPorta16Goff0Gibbs14Brown18TeSlaa1Williams54Dorlus95Dexter92Smith99Thomas27Pearce0Deablo53Daniels26Henderson24Terrell33Bowman3Bates31Watts

Lions offense · 3WR 1TE

  • QBJared Goff#16 · 168/248 · 1964 yds · 15 TD · 1 INT
  • RBJahmyr Gibbs#0 · 157 car · 773 yds · 10 TD · 34 rec
  • WRAmon-Ra St. Brown#14 · 53 rec · 571 yds · 5 TD · 76 tgt
  • WRJameson Williams#1 · 27 rec · 437 yds · 5 TD · 44 tgt
  • WRIsaac TeSlaa#18 · 10 rec · 197 yds · 0 TD · 21 tgt
  • TESam LaPorta#87 · 31 rec · 367 yds · 3 TD · 44 tgt
  • LTPenei Sewell#58
  • LGChristian Mahogany#73
  • CCade Mays#64
  • RGTate Ratledge#69
  • RTBlake Miller

Falcons defense · Base 3-4 D

  • RDEBrandon Dorlus#54 · 13 tackles · 1 sack · 1 PD
  • NTGervon Dexter Sr.#95 · 21 tackles · 1.5 sacks · 1 PD
  • LDEMaason Smith#92 · 15 tackles · 1 sack · 1 PD
  • WLBCameron Thomas#99 · 21 tackles · 2 sacks · 1 PD
  • SLBJames Pearce Jr.#27 · 0 tackles
  • RILBDivine Deablo#0 · 29 tackles · 1 PD
  • LILBKendal Daniels#53 · 52 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 2 PD
  • RCBC.J. Henderson#26 · 39 tackles · 8 PD
  • LCBA.J. Terrell Jr.#24 · 13 tackles · 3 PD
  • NBBilly Bowman Jr.#33 · 6 tackles · 2 PD
  • SSJessie Bates III#3 · 45 tackles · 1 INT · 4 PD
  • FSXavier Watts#31 · 53 tackles · 0.5 sacks · 1 INT · 2 PD

Starters from each team's current depth chart (nflverse, from ESPN), drawn in the offense's base three-receiver set against the defense's base front. The nickel back, the extra defensive back most teams use against three receivers, is drawn lighter. Left and right are as the offense sees the field. The toggle at the top flips which offense is drawn.

Head to head · DET offense against ATL defense
StatDET DET offFavors DET · Favors ATLATL ATL def allowsNFL avg
Overall
EPA per play
+0.12#6
-0.04#11+0.00
Success rate
49%#3
44%#1844%
Yards per play
6.0#7
5.3#135.4
Explosive play rate
12%#3
9%#139%
Passing
Pass EPA per dropback
+0.25#2
+0.00#15+0.03
Sack rate
6%#14
6%#207%
Running
Run EPA per carry
-0.05#14
-0.08#15-0.08
Yards per carry
4.7#6
4.6#264.1
Money downs
3rd down conversion
39%#21
42%#1841%
Red zone TD rate
69%#5
63%#1861%
Targets by position
WR yards per game
173#7
150#20147
TE yards per game
60#14
55#1855
TE targets per game
7.6#15
7.6#167.6
RB receiving yards per game
48#5
33#1732
Where the ball goes · EPA per throwDeep is 15+ air yds

Lions: EPA per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+1.526% of throws
+0.337% of throws
+0.757% of throws
Short
+0.2033% of throws
+0.4419% of throws
+0.1928% of throws

Falcons: EPA allowed per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+0.1727 throws
+1.598 throws
-0.0521 throws
Short
+0.1293 throws
-0.1533 throws
+0.06106 throws

Green gains more than expected, red loses value. Cells with fewer than 5 throws are grayed out.