Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had one of the best games of his young career in Week 4’s win over the Washington Commanders.
He completed 76.9% of his passes and threw for 313 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for a sparkling 126.0 passer rating.
His best game followed arguably his worst game against the Carolina Panthers. The bounce back from Penix was a good sign for the Falcons as they went into their bye week. Coming out of the bye, the Falcons found themselves No. 1 in the NFL in total defense, with the hopes that their offense is catching up.
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Atlanta fell one spot from No. 20 to No. 21 in NFL.com’s Week 6 Power Rankings, but Eric Edholm warned the league not to overlook the enigmatic Falcons.
“Most of the bye-week questions, interestingly enough, were on the offensive side of the ball,” Edholm wrote on NFL.com. “The Falcons appear to have a more productive attack overall than they fielded in 2024, but the explosive plays remain a bit elusive. The optimistic outlook is that the Commanders game was a glimmer of hope for a unit that needs to push the ball downfield a bit more, and Atlanta might be wise to incorporate more play-action with the way Bijan Robinson is running the ball.
“Defensively, the Falcons have been good, not allowing more than 294 yards in a game, and they’re forcing more turnovers. With A.J. Terrell working his way back from injury, that group could be even stronger.
“Don’t forget about Atlanta.”
To Edholm’s point, the Falcons are No. 7 in yards per game but are No. 26 in points per game. Turning production into points is one of the burning questions facing Atlanta coming out of the bye week.
A healthy Darnell Mooney will help with the downfield passing game, but a big part of it is Penix trusting his time in the pocket to find receivers beyond the sticks. Against the Commanders, Penix pushed the ball beyond 15 yards to Drake London and Kyle Pitts, opening up the running game for Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
The NFL’s No. 1 defense has faced Baker Mayfield shaking off the rust in Week 1, J.J. McCarthy, Bryce Young, and Marcus Mariota. There’s no doubt the Falcons have improved on defense, but they’ll face their biggest test on Monday Night Football.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are coming off their first loss of the season in a 23-20 loss at home to the New England Patriots. The Bills don’t have the most dangerous set of weapons the Falcons will face this year, but Allen might be the best quarterback they face.
Edholm recognizes the danger the Falcons pose to other teams if they can play with consistency. They have a shot on the national stage on Monday to announce themselves as relevant in the NFC Playoff chase.
