NEW ORLEANS — Remember when the Atlanta Falcons couldn’t buy a touchdown? Yeah, that feels like ancient history now.
In just two weeks, Atlanta’s offense has pulled off one of the most improbable turnarounds of the young NFL season. We’re talking worst to first, zero to hero, flip phone to smartphone.
Through the first two games, Atlanta scored a combined 16 points, the fewest in the league. Then somebody flipped the switch. After a 45-24 win over the rival New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, Atlanta has piled up a league-high 80 combined points in Weeks 3 and 4.
History in primetime
The fireworks started at Lambeau Field last week, when Atlanta beat the Green Bay Packers 35-14 on Thursday Night Football. Add Monday’s rout in the Superdome, and the team made history. According to ESPN Research, Atlanta is the first team in NFL history to win back-to-back primetime road games by 20 or more points.
Monday’s setting wasn’t exactly friendly, either. The Saints were celebrating the 20th anniversary of their first game back at the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. Atlanta crashed the party anyway.
The Penix effect
So what changed? The short answer is the quarterback. Michael Penix Jr. is back from ACL surgery, and the offense looks like a completely different unit.
The Falcons started third-string quarterback Cooper Rush in the first two games of the season. Penix, who tore his left ACL last November, returned in Week 3 and led a dominant performance against the Packers. Then on Monday, he completed 15 of 20 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown without throwing an interception. Clean, efficient, no drama.
The numbers back it up in a big way. Penix is the first Falcons quarterback to post a completion percentage of at least 70% and average at least 10 yards per attempt in consecutive games since Matt Ryan did it in 2018.
His teammates have noticed. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. called Penix’s play phenomenal and said he appreciates the quarterback’s attitude and the focus he brings every time he takes the field. Robinson also credited Penix for refusing to let anything he has been through in the past get in the way of his goals.
A run game that won’t quit
Here’s the sneaky-good part. Penix’s presence has also cracked Atlanta’s ground game wide open.
The team has topped 200 rushing yards in each of the past two weeks, and on Monday it racked up five rushing touchdowns. Bijan Robinson carried 19 times for 145 yards and two scores, while Brian Robinson Jr. added 62 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. Two Robinsons, five touchdowns and one very long night for the Saints defense.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor certainly likes what he’s seeing. He said he believes the team’s rushing attack could be the best in the league this year. Bold? Sure. But after back-to-back 200-yard games, can you really argue with him?
From 0-2 to a Falcons statement
Let’s not forget how this all started. Atlanta opened 0-2 with an offense stuck in neutral. Then the schedule handed the team three straight primetime games, two of them on the road. Not exactly the easiest way to dig out of a hole.
Two of those three games are in the books, and Atlanta is two for two. The team has now won back-to-back games and heads into a Sunday Night Football matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
Safety Jessie Bates III summed up the mood, saying the team wants to show the world what it can be. He admitted the first two weeks didn’t meet the team’s standards, but said that with Penix back under center, it’s a whole different team. The group, he added, is excited to keep the momentum rolling.
So, are the Falcons for real? Sunday night against Baltimore should tell us plenty. One thing’s for sure: Nobody’s laughing at this offense anymore.
