The Atlanta Falcons turned in their best performance of the season when they needed it most, defeating the Green Bay Packers by a final score of 35-14 on Thursday night. Offensively, the team finally made it to the red zone after failing to do so in the first two weeks.
The Falcons scored 35 points, racking up 498 total yards of offense with a balanced attack. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. provided the spark the team needed. The third-year QB's efficient performance is an encouraging sign for an offense that appeared lost against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers.
Defensively, the Falcons dominated the line of scrimmage against a banged-up Packers offensive line. Defensive linemen Maason Smith, Brandon Dorlus and Cameron Thomas gave
Green Bay's offense fits on Thursday night.
The Packers rushed for just 17 yards against Atlanta's front seven, while quarterback Jordan Love never seemed to find a rhythm. Overall, the Falcons played their best football with their season on the line.
Falcons' top 5 offensive grades vs. Packers
Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom led all offensive players with an 86.4 PFF grade. Drake London (nine catches for 194 receiving yards) earned an 84.5 grade, while Bijan Robinson (194 rushing yard) recorded an 83.8 rating from PFF. Brian Robinson (77.6) and Penix (77.4) rounded out the Falcons' top five offensive grades in Week 3.
- RG Chris Lindstrom: 86.4
- WR Drake London: 84.5
- RB Bijan Robinson: 83.8
- RB Brian Robinson: 77.6
- QB Michael Penix Jr.: 77.4
Falcons' top 5 defensive grades vs. Packers
Thomas led the defense and earned the highest overall PFF grade in Week 3, recording an 89.0 rating against Green Bay. Smith finished second with an 86.6 grade, and Dorlus was third with an 86.1 rating. Safety Xavier Watts (84.6) and linebacker Harold Perkins (82.6) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
- DE Cameron Thomas: 89.0
- DT Maason Smith: 86.6
- DE Brandon Dorlus: 86.1
- S Xavier Watts: 84.6
- LB Harold Perkins: 82.6
The Falcons have plenty to feel good about entering their Week 4 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. We'll see how they perform in another prime-time matchup on Monday Night Football.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons PFF grades: Who were the highest-graded players in Week 3?
