Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be taking an in-depth look at the Bengals' 2026 opponents. The Bengals head to Madrid in Week 9 for an international matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

2025

The Falcons finished third in the NFC South with an 8-9 record in 2025, moving on from both head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot at the conclusion of the season. Atlanta sat at 4-9 entering the final stretch of the season but won its final four contests.

The Falcons' offense ranked 24th with 20.8 points per game last season but was 14th with 333.0 yards per game. QBs Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. split time under center, with Cousins starting eight games and Penix starting nine. Penix started nine of the team's first 10 games before missing the rest of the season due to injury. The second-year signal caller from Washington went 3-6 as a starter, completing 60.1% of his throws for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.

Cousins took over for the injured Penix in Week 11 and started from Week 12 on. He went 5-2 to close the season, finishing 5-3 as a starter in 2025. The former Vikings and Commanders quarterback threw for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 appearances.

RB Bijan Robinson continued his ascent to becoming one of the league's best young players, logging over 2,000 yards from scrimmage. He carried the ball 287 times for 1,478 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground and added 79 receptions for 820 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Robinson ranked second among running backs in receptions and receiving yards.

TE Kyle Pitts led the Falcons with 88 receptions and 928 yards, while WR Drake London paced the team with seven touchdowns while adding 919 yards through the air.

Defensively, Atlanta allowed 23.6 points per game and 326.6 yards per game, ranking 19th and 14th in the league, respectively. The Falcons ranked second in the NFL with 57 sacks, led by rookie EDGE James Pearce Jr. with 10.5. They also ranked in the top 10 with 23 takeaways.

Offseason Changes

The Falcons hired Matt Ryan as their President of Football in January. Ryan led Atlanta to a Super Bowl appearance and spent 14 years with the franchise, winning the Associated Press Most Valuable Player in 2016. As President of Football, Ryan helped oversee the hirings of new general manager Ian Cunningham and head coach Kevin Stefanski. Cunningham most recently served as the assistant general manager for the Chicago Bears.

On the field, Atlanta brought in competition for Penix, signing former Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa after releasing Cousins. Tagovailoa started for six years in Miami, leading it to one playoff appearance. The Falcons also signed RB Brian Robinson Jr. as depth behind Bijan Robinson in the backfield. They added two receivers, Olamide Zaccheus from Chicago and Jahan Dotson from Philadelphia, and multiple offensive linemen, including two former Kansas City Chiefs in Jawaan Taylor and Wanya Morris.

The Falcons focused on defensive depth in free agency, signing DE Samson Ebukam, LB Christian Harris and trading for DT Maason Smith and S Sydney Brown. Brown is the twin brother of Bengals RB Chase Brown.

Atlanta selected Clemson CB Avieon Terrell in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, pairing the corner with his brother A.J. The team then added another receiver to the mix by drafting Georgia WR Zachariah Branch in the third round.

Coaching Staff

Stefanski begins his tenure in Atlanta after spending six seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. He won two Associated Press Coach of the Year awards in 2020 and 2023. He helped Cleveland win its first playoff game since 1994 in 2020 and got the team back to the playoffs in 2023 with an 11-6 record. Overall, he went 45-56 as the Browns head coach.

Tommy Rees followed Stefanski to Atlanta after spending two seasons with him in Cleveland, including last season as offensive coordinator. Before the Browns, Rees was the offensive coordinator for the University of Alabama in 2023 and spent 2017-2022 with Notre Dame.

Jeff Ulbrich will serve as the Falcons' defensive coordinator. He most recently served as the New York Jets' interim head coach at the end of the 2024 season, after spending three years as the team's defensive coordinator. Ulbrich previously spent six seasons with the Falcons, coaching linebackers in his first five seasons(2015-2019) and adding the title of assistant head coach in 2020.

Series History

The Bengals and Falcons have played 15 times. Cincinnati holds a 10-5 series lead and has won the last three matchups, the most recent coming in 2022.

What To Watch For

Cincinnati's run defense will match up against the highly explosive Bijan Robinson. The reworked front unit will look to contain the Texas product who averaged 5.1 yards per carry a year ago.