The Atlanta Falcons have an unusually long break between their third and fourth games of the 2026 NFL season. After defeating the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football the Falcons must wait until next week to face the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.
Nonetheless, Atlanta is feeling good after Thursday's offensive explosion in Green Bay. The team racked up nearly 500 yards of offense, including over 400 yards between Drake London and Bijan Robinson combined.
In today's Falcons Wire Recap, ESPN highlights another impressive Michael Penix Jr. stat, Atlanta gains ground in the NFC South standings, two division rivals deal with QB injuries, and we look at the 2027 NFL Draft order.
Falcons gain ground in NFC South
The NFC South is the most consistently mocked division
in all of football, and for good reason. Last year, the Carolina Panthers clinched the division with an 8-9 record. This season, the four teams of the NFC South have gone a combined 3-9 through the first three weeks.
It's hard to imagine any of these teams pulling away soon, but it was nonetheless a great week for the Atlanta Falcons. As the lone NFC South team to come away victorious in Week 3, the Falcons suddenly have life - which is hard to imagine happening in any other division.
- New Orleans Saints (1-2)
- Carolina Panthers (1-2)
- Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3)
NFC South: Falcons leapfrog Bucs as division goes 1-3 in Week 3
— The Falcons Wire (@TheFalconsWire) September 28, 2026
📸 Jeff Hanisch, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect https://t.co/A7bXEb30JX pic.twitter.com/dJRnjrYqGX
Michael Penix Jr. posts top-5 QBR in Week 3
Not only did Penix overcome his third career ACL tear to upset the Packers in prime time, but his play seemed to get better and better as the game went on. Penix completed 18 of 25 pass attempts for 256 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a passer rating of 101.4. Perhaps even more impressive, Penix finished with the fourth-highest QBR in Week 4 (84.9).
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson led all quarterbacks with a 94.0 QBR, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (92.2 QBR) finished second, and 49ers QB Brock Purdy was third with an 85.5. As stated above, Penix was fourth with an 84.9 QBR and Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence rounded out the top five with a QBR of 79.8.
Michael Penix Jr. posted NFL's 4th-best QBR in Week 3
— The Falcons Wire (@TheFalconsWire) September 28, 2026
📸 Jeff Hanisch, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect https://t.co/uUAToDz6e8 pic.twitter.com/bcwD5vDrWJ
Baker Mayfield, Bryce Young battling injuries
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has struggled this season, and that was before he suffered a hand injury in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. Mayfield is expected to miss about three weeks, according to the Bucs head coach Todd Bowles.
"It's consistent with everything we thought it was -- a dislocation," Bowles told reporters on Monday. "Right now, we're talking about a minimum of three weeks."
That wasn't all, though. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young reportedly suffered some sort of lower-body injury, and according to head coach Dave Canales, will undergo further testing.
"He was sore a little bit," Canales told reporters. "I think he took a cleat, I can’t remember exactly where. There was some soreness, he was able to battle through it. Was able to finish. We’re looking at him too, we’re making sure everything’s right."
Falcons division rival falling apart already after 3 games
— The Falcons Wire (@TheFalconsWire) September 28, 2026
📸 Nathan Ray Seebeck, Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images https://t.co/Cb3jJjyWyW pic.twitter.com/Zh5kbAMG7T
Updated 2027 NFL Draft order: Top 10 after Week 3
After the Falcons' Week 3 win over the Green Bay Packers, they are no longer on track for the No. 1 overall pick. However, the same can't be said about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who dropped to 0-3 after Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
While there is still one game left to be played on Monday night (Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles), check out the updated 2027 NFL Draft order after Week 3 below, via Tankathon:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3)
- Houston Texans (0-3)
- Tennessee Titans (0-3)
- L.A. Chargers (0-3)
- Miami Dolphins (0-3)
- New York Jets (from Packers)
- Dallas Cowboys (1-2)
- New York Jets (from Colts)
- New Orleans Saints (1-2)
- New York Jets (1-2)
- Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
- Washington Commanders (1-2)
- New England Patriots (1-2)
- Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
- Cleveland Browns (from Rams)
2027 NFL Draft order: Where do Falcons pick after Week 3?
— The Falcons Wire (@TheFalconsWire) September 28, 2026
📸 Jason Miller, Getty Images https://t.co/TmbUV4cBE3 pic.twitter.com/E59zXKxzmC
The Falcons will be back in action next week when they face the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons Recap: NFC South standings, Penix impresses, Mayfield injury
