The Browns’ fast start has created an easy talking point, but it doesn’t change the bigger picture for the Falcons: hiring Kevin Stefanski was a gamble, and one that still looks worth making.
Atlanta knew the risk when it brought in Stefanski after Cleveland let him go just weeks earlier. The Browns then turned around and hired Todd Monken, and with a more workable group of weapons, Deshaun Watson has looked like he’s turning back the clock as Cleveland has surged to a 3-1 start.
That turnaround looked a long way off after Week 1. Cleveland got buried by the Jaguars, and for a moment the whole thing looked dead on arrival. Since then, though, the Browns have ripped off three straight wins, including upsets over the Bucs and Panthers, before their loudest statement yet: a 27-24 upset of the Steelers on TNF.
That kind of run always invites the same old breakup debate - who “won” the split? But the truth is usually messier than that. Sometimes both sides are better off moving on, and that looks like the case here.
It’s too simple to pin Cleveland’s rise on Stefanski being the problem. The offense he was asked to run didn’t exactly hand him a dream setup, with Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, and rookie Harold Fannin Jr. as his best pass-catchers. That’s a tough assignment no matter how easy it looks from the outside.
Monken, by contrast, has been working with a different kind of setup, with rookie wideouts KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston leading the receiver room while Jeudy and Bond serve as supporting pieces alongside Fannin and Quinshon Judkins. The hand each coach was dealt is not the same, and it matters.
Stefanski also never wanted Watson in the first place. Watson’s resurgence may force him to hear some second-guessing now, but Atlanta still looks like a better fit for Stefanski than the situation he left behind.
The Falcons have controlled both lines of scrimmage thanks to strong trench play, and Michael Penix Jr. has clear upside still waiting to be unlocked. Put him next to Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts, and it’s hard not to see the appeal, even if the Falcons opened slowly.
Atlanta’s 1-2 record is a little misleading, too, because Cooper Rush started both losses and the offense could barely get moving with him at the controls. The one time Penix started, the Falcons showed what the ceiling can look like, piling up more than 500 yards of offense in a blowout win over the Packers at Lambeau Field.
So while Cleveland’s early surge makes for a noisy headline, it doesn’t settle anything. At full strength, both teams have offenses that can function and reasons for optimism.
That’s not a breakup winner. That’s two teams that may have been right to change course.
until they face off in December.
In Other News...
Jake Matthews Is Suddenly A Falcons Concern At The Worst Time
Jake Matthews has long been one of the Falcons quiet constants, the kind of veteran left tackle Atlanta could usually trust to steady things no matter what else was happening around him. This season has brought a different picture. According to Pro Football Focus grades and what has shown up on game tape, Matthews has slipped well below the level the Falcons are used to getting, and his performance has become a real issue on both the passing and running fronts.
The timing could hardly be worse, with New Orleans coming up in Week 4 and bringing a pass rush that is built to stress any shaky edge protection. For a Falcons offense trying to settle in, Matthews struggles add another layer of concern, especially because his track record has always been about durability and dependability. Now Atlanta has to wonder whether one of its most trusted veterans can hold up in a matchup that is likely to put him under the microscope from the first snap. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Head To New Orleans With Penix Adding Real Juice To This Rivalry
A Monday night trip to New Orleans always carries some extra edge for Atlanta, and this one arrives with the Falcons coming off their first win under Kevin Stefanski. Michael Penix Jr.s return from the ACL injury has given the offense a noticeably different feel, and his presence adds another layer to a divisional game that already tends to come with plenty of noise and little patience.
The Saints, meanwhile, enter Week 4 with Tyler Shough at quarterback and plenty of passing production behind him, as he sits second in the league in that category. So the setup is simple enough: an improving Falcons team trying to build on some momentum, a high-volume Saints passing attack, and a rivalry that could get a lot more interesting if Penix keeps bringing the kind of spark Atlanta has been missing. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons' Early Draft Outlook Could Shape Their Next Big Decision
A speculative 2027 NFL mock draft already has an early feel for where the Falcons could be headed, and it points them toward a place they have spent plenty of time thinking about: the offensive line. In that projection, Jordan Seaton lands in Atlanta in the first round, a reminder that the next big roster question for the Falcons may be less about flash and more about keeping the foundation sturdy as the years move on.
The broader mock draft is still in the realm of educated guesswork, with Jeremiah Smith slotted to the top overall pick for Miami and other premium names like Colin Simmons and Leonard Moore going early to teams with clear needs. For the Falcons, though, the line choice stands out because it reflects a familiar reality in roster building, where protecting the quarterback and shoring up the front can shape how the rest of the draft board is attacked. [Read more 🡒]