One week ago, many viewed the Atlanta Falcons as a dangerous team on the rise, but an ugly road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers appears to have derailed their bandwagon. The Falcons were shut out by their NFC South rivals to fall to 3-5 on the season.
Michael Penix Jr. had a brutal day, throwing four interceptions in a rain-filled mess of a game. His performance was somewhat surprising since he just was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7.
The Falcons will go into yet another tough matchup in Week 9, facing the 5-2 Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, Spain. The team needs a bounce-back performance from Penix. Wide receiver Jahan Dotson expressed confidence in Penix to get back on track against the Bengals.
"I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll bounce back," Dotson said of Penix. "That's just the kind of guy he is. That's the way he goes about his business. But yeah, you know, I don't wanna make excuses for anything, but it was a weird game. I can't imagine being a quarterback and trying to throw a pass in the rain like that. But yeah, he is looking to bounce back this week, and so are we as a football team."
Dotson had one of the only notable plays in Sunday's loss, nearly helping get the Falcons back in the game late in the fourth quarter. With the ball at their own two-yard line, Penix aired it out to Dotson for a 76-yard gain with around four minutes left.
76 YARDS FOR JAHAN DOTSON
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Ultimately, the Falcons fell apart later in the drive, as they did for most of the game. If we throw out Week 8, though, this offense has performed extremely well since Penix's return to the lineup.
Dotson has provided a consistent deep threat opposite Drake London, which is exactly what the Falcons were seeking when they signed him in free agency. The former first-round pick has 14 catches for 337 yards and two touchdowns, while averaging 24.1 yards per reception.
Few will give Atlanta a chance against the Bengals in Spain, but these are the types of games that the Falcons have typically played well in. We'll see if Penix and Dotson can hang with the Cincinnati's offense and pull off another stunning upset in Week 9.
Sunday's game kicks off at 9:30 a.m. ET on the NFL Network.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons WR has 'no doubt' that Michael Penix will bounce back
