The Atlanta Falcons got their first win of the season, and did so in dominant fashion. Michael Penix Jr. returned, and so did the offensive production. On the other side of the ball, CJ Henderson and company stepped up as the team managed multiple injuries. Here’s the Week 3, 3 up and 3 down.
3 up
Bijan Robinson
What can’t he do? Bijan Robinson is reaching heights no other Falcons running back before him has. In the first half, he became the 10th player in NFL history to reach 6,000 scrimmage yards before age 25. With
Penix managing the game to near perfection, the heavy boxes started to disappear, allowing Bijan to stretch his legs. He finished with 213 total yards and two touchdowns. Robinson is on pace for +2,600 scrimmage yards, which would shatter the franchise record he set last year by 400 yards.
Michael Penix Jr.
It had been 312 days since Penix Jr. set foot on the gridiron, and that showed during the 1st quarter. After shaking off the rust in the 1st quarter, the 3rd-year quarterback went 16/18 for 234 yards and a touchdown. It was how Penix accumulated these stats that has fans excited. Penix had a career high in both under center snapsand passes between the numbers, incinerating narratives from the Zac Robinson era.
He got his best friend Drake London involved, who has been disappointed by the Falcons start, to say the least. London was all smiles after putting up 194 yards, and so were Falcons fans. Penix’s return has shifted the narrative around the team, and now we’ll see what they are truly made of this season.
CJ Henderson
Henderson may not have had the career many envisioned as the first corner taken from his draft class, but he’s rewriting his story in Atlanta. With A.J. Terrell on IR, Henderson needed to step up for Atlanta, and that’s exactly what he did. He was the best defensive back on the field, forcing three incompletions and only giving up 40 yards on 11 targets.
He also had nine tackles on the day, showing he can handle his run support duties just fine. If these performances continue while Terrell is on the mend, the team will need to reevaluate if Mike Hughes is truly the best option as the team’s second boundary corner on the depth chart.
3 down
Zachariah Branch
The electric skill player is struggling to find a role and generate a spark. He had an extremely ill-advised punt return that left the team with worse field position than if he’d let it go, and outside of a handful of screens, he’s a nonfactor in the offense. Rookies need time to acclimate to the NFL environment, so a slow start isn’t cause for much concern, but his usage, regardless of whether or not he’s getting the ball, is questionable.
Branch has the speed to stretch the field, and while he is smaller in stature, he can still function as a situational X receiver the same way Taylor Gabriel did for the offense almost a decade ago. We’ll see if his role increases as both Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus haven’t done enough to justify their snap shares to this point.
Mike Hughes
When the Packers offense showed signs of life, Hughes was at the scene of the crime. He allowed five receptions on six targets for 89 yards and a touchdown. He also had a costly pass interference that flipped the field for the Packers offense. Hughes has been the target of Falcons fans’ ire for a couple of seasons, and while sometimes the hate was extreme, there’s no defending the quality of play we’ve seen in the opening window of the season.
Hughes’ contract has always made the lapses in play easier to stomach, but with CJ Henderson coming on strong, it’s getting harder and harder to justify his spot in this starting lineup. If he can’t get it together over the next few weeks, he could find himself on the bench when Terrell returns.
Kyle Pitts
Pitts had a great block on Bijan Robinson’s first rushing touchdown, and while his growth as a blocker has been needed, it isn’t justifying his $53 million extension. When Kevin Stefanski was hired, his ability to get tight ends the ball was highlighted consistently. We still haven’t seen that translate to the field. To be fair, this was the first game the team had a functional quarterback, so there’s still plenty of time for his production to increase. If it doesn’t, fans will once again start questioning his role on this team.
The Falcons needed this performance more than they needed air. Starting 0-3 would’ve been an early-season dagger the team and fans wouldn’t have recovered from. They aren’t out of the woods yet, sitting at 1-2, but new life has been injected into the season. The team has the opportunity to reach .500 after facing the Saints in Week 4 and get their playoff hopes back on track.
