The Falcons didn’t exactly stroll into Week 3 feeling good about themselves. An ugly 34-3 loss to the Panthers in the home opener had Atlanta sitting at 0-2, and the mood around the team was as low as it gets before a primetime date with the Packers.
Then the week turned.
On Monday, the Falcons announced Michael Penix Jr. would make his season debut, and Atlanta backed that up with a statement in Green Bay, hammering the Packers by 21 points in front of a packed crowd at Lambeau Field. Penix delivered one of the best outings of his young career, and the rest of the NFC South helped the cause by losing on Sunday, leaving Atlanta tied for the top spot in the division.
Through three weeks, the Falcons suddenly have some real momentum. A few performances in particular are driving that optimism.
The rookie class has been a major bright spot, even without a first-round pick. Avieon Terrell has started all three games at cornerback and has been as sticky as Atlanta could have hoped.
Quarterbacks have gone after him nine times, and he’s allowed just three completions for 38 yards with no touchdowns. With A.J.
Terrell out against the Packers, the Falcons didn’t even seem to miss a beat on the back end.
Kendal Daniels, a fourth-round pick, has also opened all three games as a starter at linebacker. He’s already shown the kind of steady presence teams want from a second-level defender, piling up 10 tackles and two tackles for loss.
Harold Perkins, taken in the sixth round, has earned plenty of work at linebacker too, especially on passing downs. Opposing quarterbacks have posted just a 52.8 passer rating on the 11 targets he’s seen this season.
Zachariah Branch hasn’t made much noise on offense yet, but that’s not hard to understand with Cooper Rush under center for the first two weeks. Even so, Branch has still found a way to matter, especially in the return game, where he’s averaging nearly 12.0 yards per punt return. There’s a lot more room for him to grow on offense, but the role he’s already carved out is valuable.
Penix’s night in Green Bay had a rough opening. He threw a pick on his first drive, and the next couple of possessions weren’t clean either.
After that, though, he settled in and looked as comfortable as he ever has. From the second quarter on, he was sharp, on time, and in control of the offense.
He finished 17-for-20 for 254 yards and a touchdown when he wasn’t under pressure, and his 84.9 QBR ranked fourth among all quarterbacks in Week 3. For a player coming off a 10-month absence because of an ACL injury, doing that on national television only sharpened the excitement around him. He looked like a franchise quarterback.
The other encouraging sign is up front on defense, where Atlanta may have found a better version of itself. The Falcons did something remarkable last season by finishing second in the league with 57 sacks, but the front office still overhauled the interior, bringing in Gervon Dexter Sr. and Maason Smith to replace David Onyemata and Ruke Orhorhoro.
So far, that move has paid off. The new group has helped Atlanta become the league’s best run defense by a wide margin, allowing just 47.7 yards per game.
The Falcons still haven’t given up a rushing touchdown, and they rank third in pass rush win rate. The sample is small, and tougher offenses are coming, but the early signs point to an improved defensive line.
And they’re doing it without James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker.
In Other News...
Falcons Defense Could Seize Control In Division Showdown
Monday night brings a familiar kind of pressure for the Falcons, only with more at stake than usual: a trip to New Orleans with first place in the NFC South on the line. Atlantas defense has built its identity around stopping the run, and that strength now meets a Saints offense that may have to lean even harder on its ground game with Travis Etienne expected to sit because of a hamstring injury.
For the Falcons, that is exactly the sort of matchup that can tilt a division race. New Orleans still has Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller and CJ Donaldson available in the backfield, but Kamara has not been as effective as he once was as a runner, which puts even more weight on a group that already ranks among the leagues toughest against the run. If Atlanta can control that area again, the rest of the night starts to look a lot simpler. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Judon Gets Another Shot To Prove Raheem Morris Right
Matt Judon is getting another crack at the kind of opportunity that can change a veterans season, this time with the San Francisco 49ers. The four-time Pro Bowler is signing to the practice squad and could be elevated to the active roster, giving a thin edge-rush group some much-needed depth while Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams are out.
For Falcons followers, the more familiar part of the story is the connection back to Raheem Morris, who once coached Judon in Atlanta before taking over as the 49ers defensive coordinator. Morris has long valued disruptive pressure off the edge, and Judon now has a chance to show he still fits that mold in a different locker room, under circumstances that could put him back in the rotation quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Rookies Are Already Changing Atlantas Depth Chart
Through the first three weeks, Atlantas rookie class has already started to leave a mark on the depth chart, with Avieon Terrell, Zachariah Branch, Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. all showing why the Falcons were eager to get them on the field. Their roles and playing time have been trending in a way that suggests this group is not just filling out the roster, but pushing for real opportunities as the season develops.
The early returns have been encouraging enough to change the conversation around where these rookies fit, and in some cases, how quickly they can rise. Snap counts and on-field impact are still evolving, which is exactly what makes this such an interesting subplot for Atlanta - the Falcons appear to have found a class that could keep reshaping its pecking order as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]