Sunday Night Football brings together two teams heading in different directions, even if both are coming off wins. Baltimore edged Tennessee 24-18, but that result came with a major asterisk after Lamar Jackson went down at halftime with an ankle injury. Atlanta, by contrast, lit up New Orleans for 45 points behind a sharp Michael Penix Jr. and a ground game that kept the Saints on their heels.
That Baltimore win pushed the Ravens to 3-1, and it also reinforced something about this team: it can win in more than one style. Still, the biggest storyline in Week 5 is Jackson’s status. He left M&T Bank Stadium in a walking boot and is being treated as day-to-day, which opens the door for Tyler Huntley if Baltimore has to go in another direction.
If that happens, the Ravens won’t be empty-handed. Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers give them enough punch to stay dangerous, even if the offense has to change shape.
And that’s where this matchup gets tricky, because Atlanta has found a much cleaner rhythm since Penix returned. The Falcons have scored 80 points over their last two games, and the offense looks far more balanced than it did during those first two rough weeks.
The engine for Atlanta remains Bijan Robinson. He’s coming off back-to-back statement games, piling up 194 rushing yards against Green Bay and then 145 more against New Orleans.
Baltimore’s front seven is talented enough to make another monster rushing total unlikely, but Robinson doesn’t need 190 yards to tilt the game. Atlanta has also been getting him involved as a receiver, and that matters against a fast defense that can get caught cheating downhill.
Screens and short passes can do damage when linebackers fly to the line too quickly.
The Falcons should keep feeding him. A workload of 20 or more touches feels well within reach, and with the rushing and receiving work combined, he looks positioned to clear 150 scrimmage yards and turn two red-zone chances into touchdowns.
Flowers is the other name that could swing this game. He looked fully healthy in the first half against Tennessee, racking up 119 yards and a touchdown while separating consistently as Jackson pushed the ball downfield. Once Jackson left, Baltimore’s plan changed, but the connection between quarterback and receiver remains one of the Ravens’ best weapons.
Even if Jackson can’t go or is limited, Flowers still profiles as the focal point. Huntley can work the short game, which gives Baltimore a path to feed Flowers through crossers, screens and intermediate routes.
That setup lets him create after the catch instead of forcing the backup quarterback to live off deep shots. Atlanta has enough talent in the secondary, with A.J.
Terrell able to handle outside receivers, to avoid getting overwhelmed the way Tennessee did early. But Flowers’ movement across the formation and his speed still make him hard to bottle up.
Another touchdown would depend more on who’s throwing him the ball, but the yardage is there if the targets pile up. Eight or nine catches could easily get him past 100 yards again.
Penix has given Atlanta exactly the kind of play it needed after returning from his knee injury. He completed 72% of his throws against Green Bay and followed that with another efficient outing against New Orleans. That steadiness has changed the way defenses have to treat the Falcons, because Penix no longer has to force throws for the offense to create explosives.
Drake London has posted two strong games in a row since that shift, and Kyle Pitts is still a real factor in the middle of the field. The run game is also making defenses pay for crowding the box, which is helping Penix see cleaner windows than Atlanta had earlier in the season.
Baltimore did force two turnovers against Tennessee, and its defense should still be able to get enough heat on Penix to keep things uncomfortable. But the Ravens are also dealing with injuries, including the loss of Marlon Humphrey to a calf injury in Week 4, and they were already thin in several spots.
The bigger concern may be what happens if Jackson can’t play at full strength. Huntley completed eight of nine passes after taking over against Tennessee, but Baltimore was shut out in the second half once the offense became more conservative. That kind of approach would be dangerous against an Atlanta team that has scored at will over the last two weeks.
Even if Jackson is out there, an ankle issue could sap the scrambling and designed runs that make Baltimore so tough to defend. If that happens, Atlanta can lean on its running game, keep Penix in manageable situations, and avoid asking him to do too much.
The expectation here is for Penix to throw three touchdown passes without needing huge yardage, and for the Falcons to turn another balanced offensive outing into a tight win, somewhere around 30-27.
In Other News...
Falcons-Ravens Suddenly Feels Very Different After Lamar Jackson Update
What sounded like a short-term concern for Lamar Jackson has quickly turned into something much more uncertain for the Ravens. Baltimore head coach Jesse Minter initially downplayed the left ankle injury, indicating Jackson would not be expected to miss multiple games, but the latest word has changed the outlook around Sundays matchup with Atlanta and how the rest of the schedule might unfold.
Ian Rapoport reported that Jackson now has only an outside chance to play against the Falcons, with Tyler Huntley the likely starter if Baltimore chooses to hold him out. For Atlanta, that kind of shift matters because it changes the kind of offense the Falcons may be preparing for, and it also leaves open the possibility that Jackson could sit beyond this week, including in a possible game against the Browns. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Jr. Is Changing What Falcons Fans Expect
Michael Penix Jr. has given the Falcons a different kind of energy since returning from a torn ACL, and the offense has started to reflect it. Atlantas 45-24 win over the Saints was the latest sign of that shift, with teammates openly praising the way Penix has settled in and lifted the group around him.
The numbers back up the feeling, too. Penix has completed 33 of 45 passes for 479 yards with two touchdowns and one interception this season, and Atlanta has piled up 80 points over its last two games. For a team that has spent years searching for a steadier offensive identity, winning by more than 20 points in consecutive games for the first time since 2016 is the kind of stretch that changes expectations fast. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Surge Just Made This NFL Ranking Look Ridiculous
ESPNs latest NFL power rankings gave the Falcons a 25th-place spot, a number that feels detached from what has played out under the lights over the last couple of weeks. Atlanta has strung together two straight primetime wins with strong offensive production, a run that has at least put some momentum behind a team that spent the early part of the season dealing with injuries and quarterback issues.
What makes the placement hard to square is not just the low ranking itself, but the company the Falcons were kept below after beating those opponents decisively. The panel behind the list is anonymous, which only sharpens the debate around how much weight should still be given to the early-season mess versus what the Falcons look like right now, and whether the latest vote says more about lingering reputation than current reality. [Read more 🡒]