The Atlanta Falcons have been prime-time darlings over the last two weeks, and they will look to reel off a third-straight win under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football in Week 5. It won't be easy, but it's certainly possible if the team continues to dominate the trenches.
In today's Falcons Wire Recap, Bijan Robinson gets high praise from Ravens running back Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson misses another day of practice, James Pearce Jr. meets with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, and Atlanta unveils a new uniform combo for Week 5.
Bijan Robinson ranked No. 1 RB by Derrick Henry
The Falcons have a true superstar on their hands in the form of running back Bijan Robinson. The former top-10 pick has been everything he was expected to be coming out of college - and then some. Ravens star Derrick
Henry has been arguably the top back in the NFL for the last decade, but even he can see Robinson has ascended to the top of the mountain.
"He's the best in the game right now," Henry said of Robinson. "I'm not going to shy away from it."
Derrick Henry on Bijan Robinson: “He’s the best in the game right now. I’m not going to shy away from it.”
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) October 8, 2026
James Pearce Jr. meets with Jeff Ulbrich
Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. is suspended for the next four games, but he was spotted at the practice facility this week and is allowed to do individual workouts and meet with coaches, per Daniel Flick of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
"James Pearce Jr. is back in the Falcons’ building — he’s allowed to meet with clinicians, do individual workouts with strength staff and meet with outside linebackers coach John Timu. Pearce declined to speak today but said he will, of course, eventually."
Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich told reporters he met with Pearce this week and that the second-year pass rusher was in a "good place," per ESPN's Marc Raimondi.
Ulbrich said he has sat down with James Pearce Jr. and he's in a good place. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) October 8, 2026
Injury news: Lamar Jackson out again on Thursday
Quarterback Lamar Jackson headlines a long list of Ravens players who are banged up. Jackson (ankle) was out for the second day in a row on Thursday and his status looks bleak for Sunday's game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Ravens center Cam Jurgens, whom the team traded acquired on Wednesday from the Philadelphia Eagles, was held out with a concussion.
Meanwhile, the Falcons listed three edge rushers - Za'Darius Smith, Samson Ebukam and Cameron Thomas - on their Thursday injury report. Smith (concussion) missed his second practice, while Ebukam was limited with a hamstring injury. Check out the team's full injury report from Thursday.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson out again on Thursday. Falcons LT Jake Matthews returns to practice
— The Falcons Wire (@TheFalconsWire) October 8, 2026
📸 Trevor Ruszkowski, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect https://t.co/UuXYVo0lWT pic.twitter.com/njZhhtOEFL
Falcons to debut new uniform combo vs. Ravens
Those in attendance for Sunday night's showdown between the Falcons and Ravens will get to see Atlanta in a new uniform combo. The Falcons will be wearing their red uniforms with black pants on Sunday night. The team previously wore these red jerseys with white pants, so this is a slightly different look - and one that fans have been calling for. Check them out below, as shared by the team's social media account.
New uni combo unlocked 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Nnh7bv0WDP
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 7, 2026
The Athletic's QB metric ranks Penix No. 1 in NFL
These days there's a wide range of numbers to evaluate quarterbacks, from passer rating and QBR to EPA and CPOE. The newest is from Austin Mock at The Athletic, who debuted the Quarterback Index this season. Heading into Week 5, San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy is on top in this metric at 139, followed by Lamar Jackson at 134 and Jared Goff at 123.
You won't find Michael Penix Jr. on the list, but only because he hasn't had enough dropbacks yet to qualify. If he did, he would be ranked on top, even ahead of Purdy.
"You don't see the Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. on the list because he didn't quite hit the threshold of 14 dropbacks per team game, but he actually tops the league right now with a QBI of 143. His sample size is extremely small with just two starts, but he's been undeniably excellent so far. I'm excited to see if Penix can keep it up after such a shaky start to his career." - Austin Mock, The Athletic
Falcons' Michael Penix leading NFL in new QB metric
— The Falcons Wire (@TheFalconsWire) October 8, 2026
📸 Jeff Hanisch, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect https://t.co/ImKDQkLveQ pic.twitter.com/YElBo3LsAF
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons Recap: Derrick Henry says Bijan Robinson is 'best in the game'
