If you search for “Atlanta Falcons vs Denver Broncos match player stats,” you probably want one thing: who played well and who did not. This page gives you the numbers in plain English. We look at the most recent game between the two teams, which Denver won 38-6 on Nov. 17, 2024. We also check older games from 2020, 2016 and earlier, so you can see how the teams compare over time.
Quick Facts About the Last Game
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024 |
| Place | Empower Field at Mile High, Denver |
| Final score | Denver Broncos 38, Atlanta Falcons 6 |
| Falcons by quarter | 3, 3, 0, 0 |
| Broncos by quarter | 7, 14, 7, 10 |
| Weather | 55 degrees F |
| Crowd | 76,545 fans |
Before kickoff, both teams were in the middle of a playoff fight. Atlanta was 6-4 and led the NFC South. Denver was 5-5 and held the last wild-card spot in the AFC. Neither team had been to the playoffs for a long time. Denver had not played in the postseason since the 2015 season, and Atlanta had not been there since 2017. That made this game important for both sides.
The week before, both teams had lost close games. Atlanta lost 20-17 to New Orleans, and kicker Younghoe Koo missed three field goals. Denver lost 16-14 to Kansas City after a last-second field goal try was blocked. Denver also came in with one of the best defenses in the league, giving up about 17.7 points per game.
How the Game Went
Denver started fast. In the first quarter, rookie quarterback Bo Nix threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Nate Adkins. Atlanta answered with a 41-yard field goal from Koo, but that was close to all the Falcons could do.
The second quarter is where Denver pulled away. Running back Javonte Williams ran for a 14-yard touchdown. Koo kicked a 51-yard field goal for Atlanta, but Nix then threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Mims Jr. with only 25 seconds left in the half. Denver led 21-6 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Nix found Troy Franklin for a 7-yard touchdown. In the fourth quarter, kicker Wil Lutz made a 45-yard field goal, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey caught a 41-yard touchdown pass to close the scoring at 38-6.
Atlanta never scored a touchdown. The Falcons were also 0 for 1 in the red zone, which means they had only one trip inside the Denver 20-yard line and got no points from it. Denver was 4 for 4 in the red zone.
Denver Broncos Player Stats
Passing
| Player | Completions/Attempts | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bo Nix | 28/33 | 307 | 4 | 0 |
Nix had a very strong day. He completed about 85 percent of his passes, threw for more than 300 yards and did not throw an interception. Four touchdown passes went to four different players, which shows how well he spread the ball around.
Rushing
| Player | Carries | Yards | Touchdowns | Longest run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javonte Williams | 9 | 59 | 1 | 14 |
| Jaleel McLaughlin | 4 | 19 | 0 | 8 |
| Audric Estime | 6 | 16 | 0 | 5 |
| Bo Nix | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Marvin Mims Jr. | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Michael Burton | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Denver ran for 105 yards as a team. Williams was the leader and scored the team’s only rushing touchdown.
Receiving
| Player | Targets | Catches | Yards | Touchdowns | Longest catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtland Sutton | 8 | 7 | 78 | 0 | 23 |
| Devaughn Vele | 5 | 4 | 66 | 0 | 33 |
| Lil’Jordan Humphrey | 4 | 4 | 52 | 1 | 41 |
| Marvin Mims Jr. | 2 | 2 | 49 | 1 | 37 |
| Javonte Williams | 5 | 4 | 28 | 0 | 15 |
| Troy Franklin | 2 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 8 |
| Nate Adkins | 1 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 12 |
| Audric Estime | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 11 |
| Michael Burton | 1 | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
Nine different Denver players caught a pass. Sutton led the team in catches and yards. Humphrey and Mims had the biggest plays, with touchdown catches of 41 and 37 yards.
Defense
| Player | Solo tackles | Assisted tackles | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ja’Quan McMillian | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Riley Moss | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Nik Bonitto | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Cody Barton | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Jonah Elliss | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Michael Roach | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Nik Bonitto was the star of the defense with two sacks. Jonah Elliss and Michael Roach each added one, so Denver sacked Atlanta four times in total. Cody Barton also caught the game’s only interception and returned it 15 yards.
Special Teams
Marvin Mims Jr. returned three punts for 57 yards, with a long return of 37 yards. Punter Riley Dixon kicked three times for 135 yards, and his longest kick went 51 yards. Kicker Wil Lutz made his only field goal try, from 45 yards.
Atlanta Falcons Player Stats
Passing
| Player | Completions/Attempts | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirk Cousins | 18/27 | 173 | 0 | 1 |
| Michael Penix Jr. | 2/4 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
Cousins started and threw one interception. Rookie Michael Penix Jr. also played and threw four passes. Together, the two quarterbacks were sacked four times for 21 yards, which hurt the offense a lot.
Rushing
| Player | Carries | Yards | Touchdowns | Longest run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson | 12 | 35 | 0 | 9 |
| Jase McClellan | 8 | 15 | 0 | 8 |
| Kirk Cousins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Atlanta ran for only 50 yards as a team. Robinson, who is one of the best young running backs in the league, could not find much room against a strong Denver defense.
Receiving
| Player | Targets | Catches | Yards | Touchdowns | Longest catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake London | 7 | 3 | 61 | 0 | 26 |
| Ray-Ray McCloud | 6 | 6 | 46 | 0 | 20 |
| Bijan Robinson | 4 | 4 | 28 | 0 | 15 |
| Darnell Mooney | 4 | 2 | 27 | 0 | 19 |
| KhaDarel Hodge | 2 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 18 |
| Kyle Pitts | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Ross Dwelley | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Tyler Allgeier | 1 | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
Drake London had the most yards, but he caught only three of seven passes thrown his way. Ray-Ray McCloud caught all six of his targets. No Falcons player scored a touchdown.
Defense
| Player | Solo tackles | Assisted tackles | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jessie Bates III | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Kaden Elliss | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Nate Landman | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr. | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Matthew Judon | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Jessie Bates III led Atlanta with 10 total tackles, and Kaden Elliss had nine. Matthew Judon had the team’s only sack, a 12-yard loss for Denver. Note that Kaden Elliss plays for Atlanta and Jonah Elliss plays for Denver. They have the same last name but are different players.
Special Teams
Punter Bradley Pinion had a busy day. He punted five times for 250 yards, and his longest kick went 59 yards. Koo made both of his field goal tries, from 41 and 51 yards. Avery Williams returned two punts for 22 yards.
Team Stats Side by Side
| Category | Falcons | Broncos |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 13 | 22 |
| Rushing | 21 carries, 50 yards | 26 carries, 105 yards |
| Net passing yards | 176 | 295 |
| Sacks allowed | 4 for 21 yards | 1 for 12 yards |
| Red zone | 0 for 1 | 4 for 4 |
| Penalties | 6 for 52 yards | 4 for 45 yards |
| Time of possession | 29:55 | 30:05 |
The time of possession was almost even, so Denver did not win just by holding the ball longer. It won by being better with the plays it had. The Broncos gained more yards on every pass and every run, protected Nix well and scored every time they got close to the end zone.
Top Players From the Game
Here are the players who stood out most, based on the numbers above.
- Bo Nix, QB, Broncos: 28 of 33 passes, 307 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
- Nik Bonitto, LB, Broncos: Two sacks and seven total tackles.
- Courtland Sutton, WR, Broncos: Seven catches for 78 yards.
- Javonte Williams, RB, Broncos: 59 rushing yards, a touchdown and four catches.
- Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Broncos: A 37-yard touchdown catch and 57 punt return yards.
- Jessie Bates III, S, Falcons: A team-high 10 tackles.
- Drake London, WR, Falcons: A team-high 61 receiving yards.
- Matthew Judon, LB, Falcons: The only Atlanta sack.
Earlier Games Between the Falcons and Broncos
The 2024 game was one-sided, but the series has had closer games. Here are the recent results listed on Covers.
| Date | Home team | Winner and score |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 17, 2024 | Denver | Broncos 38, Falcons 6 |
| Nov. 8, 2020 | Atlanta | Falcons 34, Broncos 27 |
| Oct. 9, 2016 | Denver | Falcons 23, Broncos 16 |
| Sep. 17, 2012 | Atlanta | Falcons 27, Broncos 21 |
| Nov. 16, 2008 | Atlanta | Broncos 24, Falcons 20 |
The 2020 Game: Falcons 34, Broncos 27
This is the game many fans look up when they search for these two teams. It was played on Nov. 8, 2020, in Atlanta. The Falcons were 3-6 and playing under interim coach Raheem Morris after the team fired Dan Quinn.
| Player | Team | Key stats |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Ryan | Falcons | 25/35, 284 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Drew Lock | Broncos | 25/48, 313 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, plus 47 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD |
| Todd Gurley | Falcons | 19 carries, 53 yards, 1 TD |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | Falcons | 4 catches, 103 yards |
| Jerry Jeudy | Broncos | 7 catches on 14 targets, 125 yards, 1 TD |
| KJ Hamler | Broncos | 6 catches, 75 yards |
| Tim Patrick | Broncos | 4 catches, 29 yards, 1 TD |
Atlanta scored on its first four drives. Matt Ryan threw touchdown passes of 51 yards to Zaccheaus, 9 yards to Brandon Powell and 21 yards to Julio Jones, and the Falcons led 27-6 in the third quarter. Denver came back in the fourth quarter with three touchdowns, but it ran out of time. The Falcons gained 363 yards and the Broncos gained 405.
The 2016 Game: Falcons 23, Broncos 16
On Oct. 9, 2016, Atlanta won in Denver. Kicker Matt Bryant made three field goals, Devonta Freeman ran for a 1-yard touchdown and Matt Ryan hit Tevin Coleman for a 31-yard score. For Denver, Paxton Lynch threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas. Atlanta gained 372 yards and Denver gained 267.
How to Read the Stat Tables
Box scores use short labels. Here is what they mean.
- C/ATT: Completions and attempts. A quarterback who goes 28/33 completed 28 of his 33 passes.
- YDS: Yards gained.
- TD: Touchdowns.
- INT: Interceptions. For a quarterback, this is bad. For a defender, it is a good play.
- ATT: Attempts, which means runs when you look at rushing stats.
- LG: The longest play for that player.
- TAR: Targets, which is how many times a pass was thrown to a player.
- REC: Receptions, which means catches.
- TK and AST: Solo tackles and assisted tackles.
- Sacks: Plays where the defense tackles the quarterback behind the line.
A good habit is to look at yards per attempt. Nix averaged about 9.3 yards per pass in the 2024 game, while Cousins averaged about 6.4. That gap tells you a lot about why the score was so uneven.
Where to Check the Numbers Yourself
Stats can change by small amounts after a game, when the league reviews plays. If you plan to quote a number, check it on a trusted site. The pages we used for this article include Pro Football Reference, Covers, CBS Sports, FantasyData, TeamRankings and the Atlanta Falcons website. Each one lists full box scores for these games.
Final Thoughts
The Falcons and Broncos do not play each other often, so every meeting gets attention. The newest game was a clear win for Denver, led by a great day from Bo Nix and a defense that sacked Atlanta four times. Before that, the Falcons had won three games in a row in the series, including the high-scoring game in 2020.
If these teams meet again, watch the same things that decided the last game: how well each quarterback is protected, how often the offense scores in the red zone and whether the running game can find space.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Falcons and Broncos last play, and who won?
The most recent game we found was on Nov. 17, 2024, at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. The Broncos won 38-6. Bo Nix threw four touchdown passes, and the Falcons did not score a touchdown.
Which player had the best game in Falcons vs Broncos?
In the 2024 game, Bo Nix had the best day. He completed 28 of 33 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions. On defense, Nik Bonitto stood out with two sacks. For Atlanta, Jessie Bates III led the team with 10 tackles, and Drake London led the receivers with 61 yards.
Are the Falcons playing the Broncos this season?
As of Oct. 12, 2026, the Falcons schedule we checked does not list a game against the Broncos this season. Schedules can change, so check the official NFL or team website before you plan anything.
