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ATLANTA -- The Indianapolis Colts had everything in front of them heading into Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

They had momentum -- and promising playoff odds -- following last week's three-score win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, which gave the Colts five wins in the past six games.

But a listless and lackadaisical 29-10 loss to the Falcons on Sunday leaves Indianapolis with little margin for error as it endeavors to reach the postseason.

The disappointing effort prompted an honest locker room speech from quarterback Gardner Minshew, who attempted to give his teammates a wake-up call after they, perhaps, took Atlanta too lightly.

"You start counting wins and you start doing schedule math and you look around, it's like, 'Well they lost to Carolina; we beat the Steelers,'" Minshew recounted later. "Well you know what? You gotta go earn it right now. And if you take this lightly, you might not end up with another [chance]."

The message was well received.

"I feel like Gardner said it perfectly," linebacker and defensive captain Zaire Franklin said. "Don't take it for granted. Being in a situation in December where you could fight for a playoff spot and play meaningful football, don't take it for granted. Don't feel like you beat a team on paper just because [we're] supposed to be better. It's hard to win in this league. Unfortunately, today was a lesson."

It's a lesson many players on the roster should already know. The Colts were infamously eliminated from the playoffs in 2021 after losing a Week 18 game to the Jaguars, who entered the game with two wins, had lost their previous eight games and were coming off a 40-point loss to New England.

On Sunday, the Colts showed shades of their performance on that fateful day. After an effortless touchdown drive on their opening possession, the Colts were outscored 29-3.

Few of the Colts' strengths showed up against Atlanta. Defensively, they entered the game with 25 sacks in their past six games and had recorded a takeaway in 19 straight games (the longest active streak in the NFL). The day ended without a turnover and just a single sack of new Falcons starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

Offensively, the running game fizzled after the opening drive, despite the return of star running back Jonathan Taylor, who was limited to 43 yards on 18 carries. And without No. 1 receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (concussion), the passing game was anemic.

Minshew completed just 20 of 37 attempts while under consistent pressure.

The longer the game wore on, the more the Colts unraveled.

"It wasn't us," coach Shane Steichen said. "You don't want to see it. You've got to stop the bleeding. It starts with myself going forward. We've got to get that corrected."

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The New York Knicks have established themselves as a mid-tier team in the Eastern Conference, but they need additional starpower in order to take the next step. One potential option is Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, whom prominent members of the front office see as an ideal fit, according to Ian Begley.

Of course, any deal for Murray would first require the Hawks to decide that they're done with the Murray-Trae Young experiment, which is not even two full seasons old at this point. While the Hawks are languishing in 11th place in the Eastern Conference at 12-17, they aren't going to take any potential deal for Murray lightly, especially after giving up three first-round picks and a pick swap to get him.

Per Begley, the Hawks have been receptive to trade offers, while Michael Scotto added that the Knicks have expressed interest in Murray. The extent of the conversations between the teams is unclear, though it appears there has at least been some form of communication. With their cadre of young players and picks, the Knicks would have the type of package that could entice the Hawks.

But even if it eventually got to a point where the Hawks decided they wanted to trade Murray to the Knicks, there would be another potential hurdle. Murray's agent is the extremely powerful Rich Paul, who runs Klutch Sports Group. During the summer, the New York Daily News reported that Zach LaVine's camp would not be interested in a trade to the Knicks. LaVine is repped by Paul and Klutch. Per Begley, Paul remains reluctant to do business with the Knicks, whose front office is led by former CAA agents Leon Rose and William Wesley.

All told, it's probably unlikely that Murray will wind up in New York, but it's something to keep an eye on. In any case, the Murray rumors are further proof of the Knicks' intent to bolster their roster. In addition to needing another perimeter scorer, the team could also use help in the frontcourt following Mitchell Robinson's season-ending ankle surgery.

Following their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, the Knicks sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference at 16-12. They are 0-6 against the East's top two teams, the Boston Celtics and Bucks, however, and 16-6 against everyone else, which emphasizes their need for more talent.

The Knicks will have another chance against the Bucks on Christmas Day. Those two teams will tip off the day's action at noon ET.

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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."

ATLANTA – Taylor Heinicke handed the ball to Bijan Robinson, then turned upfield and to his right while executing a run fake. When the Falcons quarterback got beyond the line of scrimmage, he realized that Robinson had reversed field and was right behind him.

There was a Colts defender bearing down to make the tackle, with only Heinicke in the way.

Heinicke isn't a big dude, but that didn't stop him from doing what he had to do: Go make a block.

He'll get a pancake for the effort. Heinicke knocked cornerback JuJu Brents back, gave Robinson a bit of room to run – though he technically tripped the running back himself – and fired up the Falcons sideline.

"I hope it looked better than it felt," Heinicke said with a smile after the game. "… I'll do anything I can to get the guys going and help us go down and score."

Even, it seems, putting his body in harm's way. That's on brand for an NFL journeyman who plays with passion on each snap.

"Every time I go out there, I play like it's my last play, my last game," Heinicke said. "Playing in the NFL's a special opportunity. When you get your number called, it's special. When I go out there, I leave it all on the field on every play."

The entire Falcons roster played that way in Sunday's 29-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. There was an aggressiveness, a swagger and a devil-may-care attitude to Atlanta's play that, in my opinion, was influenced by the quarterback.

Heinicke played free. He played smart. He played like a guy who has seen it all during his NFL career. He played like a guy who wasn't going to hold back.

"There's a certain feeling you get when you have that freedom, when, in your head you say, 'What's the worst that can happen?'" Heinicke said. "A loss, but if you're going to lose, why do it uptight? Just go out and leave it all on the field. There's not a play where you want to look back and wish you would've done this or that.

"Just go play, see what you see and react. This game is supposed to be fun. That's why we started playing. I think the guys had some juice going out there today and I think we played a good game."

A good, clean game. That was the objective from the start, a point Heinicke made during his Wednesday press conference. He wanted to play smart, critical-mistake-free football from start to finish. For the first time this season, the Falcons were able to do that.

"The story of the season so far has been turnovers and self-inflicted wounds," Heinicke said. "The message this week was to not beat ourselves. It was a good, clean game. I tried to get the ball out of my hands quick and let our playmakers do their thing."

Heinicke had the opportunity to do so after getting promoted to QB1 this week (and for the second time this season). He took over for Desmond Ridder in the middle of a Week 8 loss to Tennessee, and started in losses to Minnesota and Arizona. The Falcons went back to Ridder after that, but some ill-timed turnovers in losses to Tampa Bay and Carolina sent Heinicke back to the top spot.

The Falcons needed a spark and got one, with Heinicke pushing the ball down the field at times, knowing when to check down at others. He orchestrated the offense well, helped operate an explosive run game and even made a block. There's no doubt that Heinicke made a positive impression on this team and this game, one the Falcons simply had to win.

"He kept the offense in rhythm. He continued to be aggressive and certainly executed the plan," Smith said. "It helps that he has a lot of experience, and you could feel it. We got into a lot of drives and a lot of guys contributed. I thought he did a phenomenal job today."

He did a good job in this win, because he was able to play free and be himself.

"Go out there, have fun and play with passion," Heinicke said. "That's when you play your best."

ATLANTA -- — Arthur Smith's goal was for the Atlanta Falcons to remain relevant in the NFC South.

Taylor Heinicke knew the best way to reach that goal was to avoid mistakes.

Heinicke provided the turnover-free leadership at quarterback Atlanta has sought all season, passing for 229 yards and a touchdown to lead the Falcons to a 29-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

“Obviously, the story of the season so far has been, you know, turnovers and self-inflicted wounds and that was kind of our message this week was not beat ourselves,” Heinicke said. “Let’s make them go beat us. I thought we played a really clean game.”

The Falcons (7-8) benched Desmond Ridder this week for the second time this season following two straight losses, providing an opportunity for Heinicke to boost the team's fading playoff hopes. Ridder had been unable to avoid turnovers, throwing 10 interceptions with 11 fumbles to go with 10 touchdown passes.

Heinicke completed 23 of 33 passes without an interception, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts. Tyler Allgeier added a 31-yard touchdown run. The Falcons’ 29 points set a season high.

“He kept the offense in rhythm,” Smith said of Heinicke. “We wanted to be aggressive and he certainly executed the plan.”

The Colts (8-7) had won five of six to move into a first-place tie in the AFC South, but struggled offensively after opening the game with a long drive capped by Jonathan Taylor's 1-yard scoring run.

The Indianapolis defense had only one sack of Heinicke, while the Colts' Gardner Minshew was sacked six times.

“He did a good job with some movements in the pocket to create some space,” said Colts coach Shane Steichen of Heinicke. “That’s what he does. Obviously you want to create that pressure on the quarterback and get those sacks and get those takeaways. Credit to Atlanta.”

Added Colts linebacker E.J. Speed: “He made his team multi-dimensional. Nothing bad I can say about him.”

Minshew faced frequent pressure from the Falcons' pass rush, including on an incomplete fourth down pass from the Atlanta 38 with about 10 minutes remaining.

The Colts' next drive ended with Jessie Bates' interception of Minshew's pass over the middle intended for Alec Pierce. It was Bates' sixth interception of the season.

Minshew completed 20 of 37 passes for 201 yards with one interception.

The Falcons' finish will determine the future of Smith, the third-year coach.Team owner Arthur Blank said this week he would wait until after the regular season to make a decision on Smith's status.

Asked if the win provided more joy or relief, Smith said “Sometimes winning is a relief. But you see that response from the team, you know, that’s why you love this game. And it’s kind of refreshing. ... You don’t want to lose that joy. So I would say it’s more joy.”

Last weekend's 9-7 loss to last-place Carolina knocked Atlanta out of a first-place tie in the division. The Falcons' fading hopes in the division were helped by New Orleans' 30-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday.

“Week to week, everything changes,” Smith said.

Rookie Bijan Robinson had 12 carries for 72 yards and a career-high seven catches for 50 yards. Younghoe Koo kicked five field goals.

TAYLOR RETURNS

Atlanta’s defense gave up its first touchdown on an opening drive of the season. Taylor needed three runs from the Atlanta 1 before scoring.

It also was the first rushing touchdown the Falcons have given up to a running back this season.

Taylor, who returned after missing three games with a thumb injury, had 18 carries for 43 yards. The Colts rushed for only 92 yards and were outgained 406-262 overall.

CLEAN LOOK FOR HOLIDAYS

For the second time this season, Smith shaved his moustache before the game, perhaps hoping to change his team’s luck following back-to-back losses to NFC South rivals Tampa Bay and Carolina.

“I had the change the momentum, you know, church myself up for the holidays,” Smith said.

INJURY REPORT

Colts: WR Michael Pittman (concussion, shoulder) and RB Zack Moss (forearm) did not play. Pittman was cleared from the concussion protocol on Friday and traveled with the team to Atlanta before being ruled out Saturday after again experiencing more symptoms. ... SS Julian Blackmon left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury.

Falcons: LB Lorenzo Carter (neck, head) cleared concussion protocol after leaving the game in the third quarter. RG Chris Lindstrom also cleared the concussion protocol in the fourth quarter. ... LB Arnold Ebiketie was listed as questionable to return with a knee injury late in the game.

UP NEXT

Colts: Close the regular season with two home games, including next Sunday's visit from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Falcons: Visit Chicago next Sunday in the first of two road games to close the regular season, followed by a visit to New Orleans.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl