Welcome back, Atlanta Falcons fans (victims).
Here’s the Week 1 Snap Reactions:
Offense starts fast but can’t maintain speed
The Falcons couldn’t have asked for a better opening drive. Zac Robinson’s offense went 64 yards in three plays, one of which was a 50-yard touchdown by Bijan Robinson. From there, it was all downhill. The Falcons would go three straight drives without points and score one field goal the rest of the half. The second half featured late heroics from Michael Penix, but the Falcons run game and Zac Robinson’s play calling couldn’t match the quarterback’s performance. The last drive, ending with a missed field goal, is almost a perfect encapsulation of the day’s performance.
Divine Deablo’s Delightful Debut
Anticipation has been building for Deablos’ first game in a Falcons uniform, and the inside linebacker did not disappoint. We haven’t seen much of the defensive free agent Atlanta prioritized signing, but he was all over the football field today. He played the run well, was used as a blitzer, and showed up in coverage, making open-field tackles and forcing pass breakups. He was the fast and versatile second-level defender he was advertised to be, and already looks like he could be the best haul of the offseason.
Xavier Watts was the most valuable rookie on the defense
The Falcons first-round edge rushers didn’t make a lot of noise, but Xavier Watts did what he could to make up for it with his own impressive debut. Watts was known for having a nose for the football, and that was apparent from the start of this game. The rookie gained confidence with each drive and almost recorded an interception or two. The team wants those to convert to real ones, but it was a promising start for the rookie, and you can see the vision with him and Jessie Bates as a duo.
Penalties play too big a role
The Falcons were sloppy on both sides of the ball, and it cost them. Ruke Orhorhoro had a late hit on Baker Mayfield that wasn’t violent but was careless and unnecessary. Elijah Wilkinson, who had an overall serviceable performance, had two false starts on the same drive. Overall, the team had eight for 55 yards. Atlanta was one of the most penalized defenses in 2024, and penalties would often kill key drives on offense. That was a trend that many had hoped would break this year, but it did not materialize in Week 1.
You could see it in the sideline’s body language, you could feel it coming after the doink. The Younghoe Koo the Falcons once knew is gone. It’s hard to say if the team will pull the plug this early in the year, but they do have an exit strategy in the building, which is something they didn’t have last year. However, camp reports indicate that Koo did win this battle, so is Atlanta sure it wants to burn through its only lifeline so soon? A tough decision is going to have to be made because once they bench Koo this year, there’s no going back.
Michael Penix still looks like the real deal.
Despite the tough loss, the Falcons’ new franchise quarterback looked the part. Michael Penix overcame questionable play calling and dropped passes. His defense kept him in the game, but the young shot caller put the team in position to win when he had to; unfortunately, his kicker let him down. There were some misses, but the final box score won’t tell the whole story. The Falcons quarterback would rather leave with a win, but his performance did not cost the team one.
Losing on a missed field goal after your offense appears to come alive feels like a gut punch. This being a division loss is an even tougher pill to swallow, but the Falcons will have to do so quickly because it doesn’t get easier from here.
