Falcons' 2-game winning streak can't make up for disappointment of 8th straight losing season

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons' second consecutive road win was accompanied by regrets that the success came far too late to save a lost season.

The 26-19 win at Arizona on Sunday showed evidence of many of the reasons the Falcons entered this season with playoff expectations and are frustrated to be stuck with their eighth consecutive losing season.

Bijan Robinson topped 2,000 scrimmage yards for the season, providing more statistical evidence he ranks among the most dynamic running backs in the league and in franchise history. Kyle Pitts continued his late-season emergence to show he's one of the league's top tight ends. Quarterback Kirk Cousins accounted for three touchdowns.

With top wide receiver Drake London back on the field after missing four games with a knee injury, it was a strong reminder of Atlanta's talented playmakers. The Falcons (6-9) could still be in contention in the weak NFC South if they had played with more consistency when quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was running the offense before his season-ending surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

The back-to-back wins at Tampa Bay and Arizona show the Falcons haven't quit on coach Raheem Morris since being eliminated from postseason contention but also show they failed to realize their potential.

"It was nice to be able to get Drake out there with Kyle and Bijan to see what our weapons really look like to show guys what this team should look like on a consistent basis every time we’re out on the football field,” Morris said.

Robinson and Tyler Allgeier each had 16 carries and the Falcons were rewarded for their commitment to the running game. Robinson rushed for 76 yards and had seven catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Allgeier ran for 79 yards.

Robinson's 168 scrimmage yards gave him an NFL-leading six games with 150 or more this season and 2,026 for the season. Robinson joined Jamal Anderson (1998) and William Andrews (1981 and 1983) as the only players in franchise history with 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season.

Andrews set the team record with 2,176 scrimmage yards in 1983. Robinson needs 150 yards to reach Andrews' mark.

“That would be awesome,” Robinson said.

While the Atlanta defense was focused on containing tight end Trey McBride, Arizona averaged 5.7 yards per carry while running for 132 yards. McBride had four catches for only 27 yards.

“I won’t use that as an excuse but we definitely had a focus and he’s definitely the game-wrecker for this football team,” said Morris of McBride. "We wanted to go out there and really focus our energy on McBride but that’s no excuse. We have got to play better in the run game and we will.”

C.J. Henderson, signed from the practice squad on Saturday, made a diving interception with 1:30 remaining to clinch the win. The cornerback's fourth career interception was his first since 2022 with Carolina. Henderson was the No. 9 overall pick by Jacksonville in the 2020 draft. Henderson, 27, likely earned an opportunity to play more in the final two games in what could be an audition for a role in 2026.

Robinson joked that LT Jake Matthews is facing extra practice time after he failed to catch a potential 1-yard touchdown pass from Cousins in the fourth quarter. Players were pulling for Matthews, who has the NFL's longest active streak with 186 consecutive starts, to score on the play that had been worked on in practice.

“’I told Jake, ‘It’s OK, we are going to run this play again,’” Robinson said before adding “But I was like, ‘In practice, it’s going to be grueling. You’re going to be on the jugs machines, you’re going to make sure that we get you again.’ I wanted that one for him for sure.”

London had three catches for 27 yards on eight targets. London had a scare he may have aggravated the knee injury in the second half when he limped off the field and threw his helmet in frustration. He returned to the game. CB Mike Hughes was inactive with an ankle sprain. CB A.J. Terrell left the game in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury, creating the need for Henderson to be on the field for his crucial interception.

395. Pitts had seven catches for 57 yards and a touchdown, giving him 395 receiving yards in the past four games. It is the most yards by a tight end in a four-game span in franchise history. Pitts had at least six receptions in each of the four games. He has set career highs with 80 catches and five touchdown receptions this season. He has 854 receiving yards, the second most in his career behind his 1,026 yards as a rookie in 2021.

The Falcons return home to face the Los Angeles Rams (11-4) on Monday night. The Rams lost 38-37 in overtime at Seattle on Thursday night.

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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. (8) runs against Arizona Cardinals linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither (27) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) scores a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday questioned whether government officials could be trusted to follow orders barring them from taking Kilmar Abrego Garcia into immigration custody or deporting him.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis noted that Abrego Garcia was already deported without legal authority once and said she was “growing beyond impatient” with government misrepresentations in her court. "Why should I give the respondents the benefit of the doubt?” she asked, referring to the government attorneys.

Abrego Garcia's mistaken deportation and imprisonment in El Salvador in March has galvanized both sides of the immigration debate. The Trump administration initially fought efforts to bring him back to the U.S. but eventually complied after the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in. He returned to the U.S. in June, only to face an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges in Tennessee.

Xinis ordered Abrego Garcia released from immigration custody on Dec. 11 after determining that the government had no viable plan for deporting him. She followed that with a temporary restraining order the next day barring Immigration and Customs Enforcement from immediately taking him back into custody. The Monday hearing was to determine if the temporary restraining order should be dissolved.

The hearing was a glimpse into the complexity of immigration proceedings as Xinis tried to get information on the status of Abrego Garcia’s case. “I am trying to get to the bottom of whether there are going to be any removal proceedings,” she said as she questioned the government’s lawyer. “You haven’t told me what you’re going to do next."

Xinis said she would leave the restraining order in place for now while she considers the issue.

“This is an extremely irregular and extraordinary situation,” Xinis told attorneys.

Abrego Garcia, his wife and legal team were welcomed to the federal court building in Maryland by a boisterous reception that included a choir, bullhorn and drum as scores of supporters cheered. Inside the courtroom Abrego Garcia sat with at least half a dozen defense team members while a lone government attorney sat across from them.

Abrego Garcia had been in immigration detention since August before his Dec. 11 release. In that time, the government has said it planned to deport him to Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana and, most recently, Liberia. However, officials have made no effort to deport him to the one country he has agreed to go to — Costa Rica. Xinis has even accused the government of misleading her by falsely claiming that Costa Rica was unwilling to take him.

The government's “persistent refusal to acknowledge Costa Rica as a viable removal option, their threats to send Abrego Garcia to African countries that never agreed to take him, and their misrepresentation to the Court that Liberia is now the only country available to Abrego Garcia, all reflect that whatever purpose was behind his detention, it was not for the ‘basic purpose’ of timely third-country removal,” she wrote.

In court on Monday, Abrego Garcia's reiterated that he is prepared to go to Costa Rica “today.”

Abrego Garcia has an American wife and child and has lived in Maryland for years, but he immigrated to the U.S. illegally from El Salvador as a teenager. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from being deported back to his home country, finding he faced danger there from a gang that had targeted his family. Although he is back in the U.S. now, Department of Homeland Security officials have said he cannot stay and have vowed to deport him to a third country.

In addition to the Maryland case, Abrego Garcia is fighting the human smuggling charges in Tennessee. His attorneys in that case on Friday asked the judge for sanctions after Border Patrol's Gregory Bovino made disparaging comments about their client on national news. The judge previously ordered Justice Department and Homeland Security officials to cease making comments that could prejudice Abrego Garcia's right to a fair trial.

Loller reported from Nashville, Tenn.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrives at the United States District Court District of Maryland, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Greenbelt, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Immigrant activists rally outside of the United States District Court District of Maryland in support of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Greenbelt, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrives at the United States District Court District of Maryland, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Greenbelt, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kilmar Abrego Garcia cries during a rally ahead of a mandatory check at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Baltimore, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, after he was released from detention on Thursday under a judge's order. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kilmar Abrego Garcia waits to enter the building for a mandatory check at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Baltimore, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, after he was released from detention on Thursday under a judge's order. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kilmar Abrego Garcia listens during a rally ahead of a mandatory check at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Baltimore, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, after he was released from detention on Thursday under a judge's order. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)