By Samir Ajy
What a difference a week makes.
After last week’s embarrassing 30-0 shutout loss in Charlotte to the Carolina Panthers, the outlook on the
Atlanta Falcons could not have been more cynical. There were media and fan debates about the team’s
plans at quarterback, as the offense had been at or near the bottom in the NFL in several categories.
Moreover, they fired their well-respected wide receivers coach, and calls for head coach Raheem Morris’
job reached a fever pitch. The Falcons responded by coming home and beating a short-handed
Washington Commanders team by a score of 34-27, improving their record to 2-2. Here are the five main
takeaways from Sunday’s game:
- Penix Bounces Back
Coming off his worst day as a pro last week and calls for a quarterback competition between him and Kirk Cousins to open, second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. put forth arguably his best day as a pro. Penix completed 20 of his 26 pass attempts, a career-high 313 yards, and two touchdown passes despite one ill-timed interception in the third quarter. He even converted three key third downs on Atlanta’s final offensive drive of the game, including a five-yard scramble on third down and four. These crucial third-down conversions allowed the Falcons’ offense to chew clock and get into field goal range. The drive ended with a chip shot field goal by Parker Romo to put the Falcons up by 10 at the two-minute warning with Washington out of timeouts. The highlight of the day for Penix included a 43-yard deep pass to Drake London, setting up a 14-yard rushing touchdown for Bijan Robinson. “I feel like I showed myself that I deserve to be here and I belong,” Penix explained after the game. - Special Teams is Once Again a Problem
From the team’s kicker carousel to their poor kick and punt return coverage, Atlanta’s special teams unit has been an overall net negative through the team’s first four games. According to Pro Football Reference, the Falcons rank seventh-worst in the NFL in average opponent starting field position, with their opponents, on average, beginning their offensive possessions at their own 34-yard line. This past Sunday was no different, with Washington’s Luke McCaffery killing the Falcons in the return game, including a 58-yard kickoff return that he nearly ran back for a touchdown in the second quarter. Special teams coordinator Marquise Williams needs to clean up his unit’s miscues, or it could cost the Falcons games. - The X-Factor
When the Falcons traded up from the 98th pick to select safety Xavier Watts out of Notre Dame with the 96th pick, it was considered one of the bigger steals of this past draft class. Watts has not disappointed, being named a day-one starter alongside All-Pro Jessie Bates, while living up to his ball-hawking prototype. In the middle of the third quarter, with Atlanta up 24-13, Watts intercepted a pass by Marcus Mariota in the endzone, while recording five tackles and one pass breakup. The interception was his second of the season, making him Atlanta’s first rookie to record multiple interceptions in a season since former linebacker Deion Jones in 2016. For years, the Falcons have struggled to draft immediate impact players on the defensive side of the ball. The organization and its fans are hoping Watts, along with the rest of the 2025 rookie class, can reverse the team’s poor track record of doing so. - Give the Ball….to Tyler
One of the best ways to take pressure off of a young NFL quarterback is to run the football effectively. Many forget that Michael Turner was the focal point of Atlanta’s offense during Matt Ryan’s first couple of years in the NFL. Bijan Robinson is a superstar, no doubt about it. However, Atlanta’s run game and overall offense flow are at their best when they run the football effectively, with Tyler Allgeier being a key part of the game plan. The fourth year back out of BYU, who is considered one of the league’s best backup running backs, rushed for 51 yards on 16 carries, including a 15-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to give the Falcons a 15-point lead. The Falcons are now 7-0 whenever Allegeir gets at least 15 carries in a game. - An Off Day For the Defense
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich deserves credit for turning a defense that was near the bottom of the league last year into one that is ranked in the top 10 in several categories through four weeks. However, his unit underwhelmed in the second half of Sunday’s game against a Commanders offense missing Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, and Noah Brown. At the beginning of the third quarter, Washington spotted the Falcons a first down and 30 thanks to back-to-back penalties. However, they still picked up a first down, thanks to Marcus Mariota avoiding a potential James Pearce Jr. sack and scrambling on a third
down and 14. The Commanders were able to come out of that drive with a field goal. Then, later on in the fourth quarter, with the Falcons up 31-16, Washington was forced to go for a fourth down and three to keep the game alive. Deebo Samuel beat Mike Hughes on a “go” route for a 24-yard touchdown. A stop there would have put the game away for all intents and purposes. After the Falcons were able to chew the clock and kick a field goal on the ensuing drive, Washington got the ball with no timeouts at the two-minute warning. A costly pass interference penalty against Dee Alford put the Commanders in a position to kick a field goal and then try to convert an onside kick. Luckily, Atlanta recovered and took three knees to ice the game.
Overall, the Falcons did what they needed to do: beat a banged-up Commanders team at home in a
must-win game. An embarrassing loss here against their former head coach (Dan Quinn) and their former
starting quarterback (Mariota) would have put the team at 1-3 with their season on life support. It doesn’t
get much easier for the Falcons from here. After their Week Five bye, reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen and
the currently undefeated Buffalo Bills come to town. The Falcons will need to build on their positives and
address their shortcomings if they want to pull off the upset.
