ATLANTA -- Earlier this week, the Atlanta Falcons offense met inside the team's practice facility. They meet every week, sure, but this was a little bit different.
The Falcons again had a quarterback change, going back to Taylor Heinicke from Desmond Ridder. The Falcons were in must-win mode for the rest of the season with an offense that hadn't achieved as much as people thought they might.
So, the offense -- the coaches and the players -- got together to work things out. The result, a 29-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, kept the Falcons in the NFC South and wild-card playoff picture as Atlanta put together one of its best offensive performances of the season.
"We just had an offensive meeting," tight end Kyle Pitts said. "And talked it out."
Pitts said the offense knew what was at stake. The 406-yard result -- 229 yards passing, 177 yards rushing -- was the fourth-best game for Atlanta this season. The 29 points were a season high. But it went beyond raw numbers. The balance third-year coach Arthur Smith had been searching for worked from the opening drive with Heinicke at quarterback.
The Falcons threw 33 passes and had 30 runs. Atlanta showed a level of unpredictability it hasn't often had this season. Heinicke completed 69.7% of his passes for 229 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Bijan Robinson rushed for 72 yards and caught seven passes for 50 yards.
Robinson said everyone in the meeting chipped in to work through things, with players discussing how to get to the point they believed they should be at while also working through what would work best with Heinicke back at quarterback.
Tight end Jonnu Smith said one of the messages the offense -- and really the entire team -- tried to drive home during the week was that Indianapolis "was going to be our best game of the season." Then, Smith said, the players proved they had actionable intent behind their words with how they practiced, watched film and played. It was emphasized starting Wednesday morning.
"We were just trying to see what to do in order for us to play the football that we know we can play," Robinson said. "We just had to stop messing around, do things the right way and have fun playing and not think we had any pressure on us."
In some ways, it fit the style of their quarterback, Heinicke, who often says he tries to play with the largest element of fun he possibly can. Teammates noticed as they worked on getting comfortable with Heinicke the second time around as the starter.
Arthur Smith said he felt good about his team's energy all week and, in an attempt to change momentum, he shaved his mustache over the weekend before Sunday's game.
"I had to change momentum," Smith said. "Clean up. Church myself up for the holidays."
Heinicke said after the game he didn't do or feel anything different, but teammates noticed a level of comfort from him this time -- both in practice and in Sunday's game -- that was missing in his first two starts earlier this season against Minnesota and Arizona.
Robinson said that during the week Heinicke was bobbing his head to music and seemed loose while throwing the ball to receivers. Receiver Van Jefferson said they worked a bit extra, with routes on air and extra film study, to understand how Heinicke wanted things run.
On Sunday, Robinson said the offense fed off Heinicke's energy, including rapping a song -- Robinson wouldn't say which one -- while they were in huddles to loosen the mood and keep everyone relaxed and confident.
Heinicke said he will continue his tradition of getting a new pair of Jordan shoes for each win as a starter.
"There's a certain feeling you get when just you have that freedom," Heinicke said. "When you kind of just say in your head, 'What's the worst that can happen? A loss?' But if you're going to lose, why do it uptight?
"Go out there and just let it all on the field. There's not a play where you want to look back and say, 'I wish I did this or that.' Just go out there and play. See what you see. React. This game is supposed to be fun, that's why we started playing. So I think the guys had some juice going out there today and we had a good game."
The feeling spread to the entire team. Atlanta's defense had six sacks -- its most in a single game since 2019. The Falcons hit Indianapolis quarterback Gardner Minshew 11 times, held Colts running back Jonathan Taylor to 43 yards and had eight tackles for loss. Atlanta kicker Younghoe Koo had five field goals. It was a thorough performance that kept the Falcons alive.
According to ESPN Analytics, the Falcons have a 21% chance of making the playoffs, although if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta will have only a 7% chance of winning the NFC South.
So the Falcons know they still have opportunities, no matter how big or small. And, after the way they played Sunday, perhaps even a stronger belief of what is possible throughout the entire team.
"This is what we've been waiting for all year, right?" defensive end Calais Campbell said. "No time better than the present.
"This is, when we play the way we're capable of playing, this is what it looks like."