The Falcons looked dead in the water two weeks ago. Then Michael Penix Jr. showed up, and suddenly the NFC South feels a whole lot less settled.
Atlanta started 0-2 with losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers, and that second defeat was especially ugly: a 34-3 home loss that left the offense without a trip to the red zone, got Cooper Rush benched and dropped the Falcons to No. 31 in ESPN’s Week 3 power rankings. For a team that had already stumbled badly out of the gate, it was about as bleak as it gets.
But the short week trip to Lambeau Field changed everything. The Falcons went into Green Bay and beat the Packers 35-14, with Bijan Robinson ripping off 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns, Drake London hauling in nine catches for 194 yards, and Atlanta rolling up 498 total yards. It was the kind of outburst that can reset a season in a hurry.
That doesn’t erase the mess from the first two games. It does, though, put Atlanta right back in the division picture.
The NFC South is suddenly wide open. Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans are all 1-2, while Tampa Bay is sitting at 0-3.
And the rest of the division has its own issues piling up fast. Baker Mayfield will miss at least three weeks after suffering a dislocated thumb in the Buccaneers’ Week 3 loss to Minnesota, and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels is expected to take over against Green Bay.
Carolina is dealing with injuries of its own after placing Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson on injured reserve Wednesday. Both of its top-two cornerbacks have to miss at least four games, a rough blow for a team that just beat Atlanta by 31 points.
New Orleans is 1-2 after a 35-27 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Saints have already shown how uneven they can be.
So the door is open. Atlanta just has to walk through it, starting Monday night in New Orleans.
A win would push the Falcons to 2-2 and give them a head-to-head victory over another NFC South contender. After that comes a tougher run with Baltimore, Chicago and San Francisco, but the division games are still there later on, with Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Carolina all left on the schedule.
And that’s why this feels different now: Penix gives Atlanta a chance. He helped the Falcons put up 35 points against a Packers team that came in at 1-1, while Robinson and London made the most of their chances and the defense held Green Bay to 14. That is a far cry from the team that stumbled into Week 3 looking like a candidate for the league’s basement.
Still, one win in Green Bay doesn’t solve everything. The Falcons have more to prove, and the stretch against the Ravens, Bears and 49ers will tell a lot more about who they really are.
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 🡒]