The Falcons are headed back to Atlanta riding the momentum of two huge primetime wins, and the next test comes with a different kind of weight. Baltimore comes in without Lamar Jackson, but that doesn’t make this one simple. Both teams are physical, both have something to prove, and the game may come down to the kind of one-on-one battles that decide drives before the headline plays even happen.
If Atlanta is going to keep things rolling Sunday night, three matchups stand out.
The first is out wide, where Nate Wiggins is expected to spend plenty of time dealing with Drake London. PFF has London as the league’s eighth-ranked receiver with an 89.8 overall grade, and he brings the size advantage at 6-foot-4.
Wiggins has made a strong early impression of his own, checking in with a 70 overall grade and ranking top 21 among cornerbacks. Through 163 coverage snaps, he has allowed just 11 catches, broken up two passes, and given up only a 77.6 quarterback rating.
That’s a real test for a smaller corner at 6-1, 185 pounds, especially against a receiver who can win with frame and body positioning. London’s route work can stress corners too, and his ability to use his body to create leverage showed up in Week 4.
Wiggins is described as a fighter and competitor, and with Atlanta listed as his hometown, this is the sort of matchup that should bring out plenty of edge.
The second battle is the one in the trenches and on the ground: Bijan Robinson against Derrick Henry. It’s power against finesse, youth against experience, and both backs are making defenses pay in different ways.
Henry has been a force even with a run game that hasn’t always been perfect around him, averaging over 4 yards a carry with 7 touchdowns in only four games. For Atlanta, that puts the spotlight on a run defense that has drawn questions because the backs it has faced haven’t been elite.
Robinson, meanwhile, has been on a tear. Henry has already called him the best back in football, and Robinson has backed it up with back-to-back dominant outings, averaging over 169 yards a game over the last two weeks based on the source’s math.
Baltimore sits No. 10 against the run and plays the kind of physical football Kevin Stefanski wants his own team to have, so this is exactly the kind of matchup that can set a tone early for Atlanta.
The third key duel lands on the perimeter with C.J. Henderson against Zay Flowers.
Henderson was forced into the starting lineup after the early AJ Terrell injury and has settled into the top boundary role opposite rookie Avieon Terrell. In two starts and four games played, he has posted a 76.2 PFF grade, which ranks 10th among cornerbacks.
That likely means a heavy helping of Flowers, Baltimore’s most dangerous receiver in this matchup. Flowers has been electric through four games, sitting fourth among receivers with a 90.8 PFF grade and topping 350 yards already.
He’s a quick, slippery route runner who can line up anywhere and stress a defense with speed and versatility. Henderson brings length and physicality, but not the same kind of burst, which could work in Flowers’ favor as he looks for Tyler Huntley.
Still, Henderson has produced plenty through the air, with 31 targets leading to 17 catches and 4 pass breakups, and he’ll be aiming to make life difficult on one of the league’s top wideouts.
If Atlanta is going to win this one, those are the battles worth watching.
In Other News...
Falcons Let A Winnable SNF Game Slip Away In Painful Fashion
Sunday night had the feel of a game Atlanta could and should have controlled, until Baltimore kept hanging around long enough to turn it into an overtime escape. Tyler Huntley, filling in at quarterback, guided the Ravens through a 30-23 win with a late rally that stunned the Falcons and wiped out what had been a winnable prime-time stage. Derrick Henry added 102 rushing yards, while Huntley was efficient throwing the ball, completing 24 of 32 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
The Falcons offense was already trying to close out the night when Michael Penix Jr. exited late in the fourth quarter with a rib injury, a shift that changed the feel of the final minutes and left Atlanta searching for answers. Baltimore then finished the job after Tua Tagovailoa took over in overtime, and the game slipped away in the kind of painful fashion that makes a loss linger well beyond the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Injury Suddenly Looms Over Falcons After Crushing Loss
A rib injury turned a wild afternoon into a much bigger concern for Atlanta, with Michael Penix leaving against the Ravens and briefly trying to tough it out late in regulation before the discomfort sent him back to the sideline. The Falcons turned to Tua Tagovailoa in overtime, but his interception helped close the door on a game that already felt like it had slipped away, adding a painful finish to a loss that carried a lot more than one result in the standings.
Penix is set to get further testing, and even with the added uncertainty, the early sense is that Atlanta may not be bracing for a long absence. The quarterback said he expects to be ready for next weeks matchup with the Bears, which would be a welcome outcome for a team suddenly watching its most important position much more closely than it wanted to after a crushing defeat. [Read more 🡒]
Jessie Bates Gave Falcons Fans The Prime-Time Spark They Wanted
The Falcons got the kind of early defensive jolt that can change the feel of a prime-time game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Jeff Ulbrichs unit making its presence known against Baltimore on Sunday night. Atlantas defense had already shown it could make life uncomfortable for the Ravens, which were adjusting to life without Lamar Jackson and turning to Tyler Huntley at quarterback.
Jessie Bates then delivered the moment that really lit up the building, jumping on a Mark Andrews fumble and taking it back for a touchdown. It was the sort of splash play Falcons fans were hoping for under the lights, the kind that can swing momentum in an instant and give the home crowd something to hang onto as the night unfolded. [Read more 🡒]