It started off bad, and after the first two weeks of the season, that led many of us to brace for the worst. Michael Penix Jr. threw an interception, the team allowed a quick scoring drive for the Packers, and trouble seemed to be on the horizon. Then the switch flipped, the Falcons discovered what they were supposed to be all along, and the rout was on.
It’s hard to overstate the extent to which the Falcons turned it around, torpedoing a struggling Packers offense and eviscerating a solid Packers defense. Bijan Robinson ran all over the place for nearly 200 yards, Michael Penix Jr. settled in and threw some real darts, Drake London ran roughshod all over Lambeau for almost 200 yards, and the Falcons pass rush rattled Jordan Love while the secondary made some nice plays on the rare quality balls from Love. It was the kind of effort we hoped for but didn’t dare dream would happen, and it happened in a hostile environment on the road, and it ended in an absolutely lopsided asskicking we haven’t seen from these Falcons in some time. It was, in short, as effective a repudiation of the idea that this team was doomed by more than poor quarterback play than you could possibly imagine.
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The Falcons won 35-14. They picked off Jordan Love’s final pass to seal it, harried Love all game, and their playmakers dominated after that slow start. It didn’t even feel that close most of the game, if we’re being honest, and all the nerves and sour feelings and dumb stuff that defined the first two weeks and part of the first quarter floated off into the brisk air in Green Bay.
What will it end up meaning? We don’t know yet, and we shouldn’t declare this season fixed any more than we should’ve declared it totally lost after two games. But this was evidence that these Falcons can be something more than mediocre, keyed by a quarterback who faced a lot of doubt as he worked his ass off to get back and buoyed by a coaching staff gaining confidence and playmakers who just needed to settle in and do what they do best. If the sky feels like a little too high up for this team’s limits, they’re certainly capable of getting quite a ways off the ground. Now it’s about what they can build off this effort, and the hope I feel today is going to taste very, very sweet for the next 10 or so days.
Here’s a drive-by-drive recap of the game you just enjoyed.
1st Quarter
Brian Robinson Jr. took the opening kickoff to the 30. Bijan Robinson took the initial handoff for four yards. Michael Penix Jr. then dumped it off to Bijan, who got a couple nice blocks and picked up 16 yards. Penix then tried Jahan Dotson down the sideline, but it wasn’t complete. Penix then threw an interception over the middle, hesitating too long and having the pass easily picked off.
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Jordan Love threw a quick ball for about six yards before Xavier Watts got him. On second down, pressure gave Love happy feet and he threw it past his intended receiver. Love then missed Christian Watson on third down. They then tried to draw the Falcons offsides and then suffered a false start. Olamide Zaccheaus got a short return on the punt.
Bijan took the handoff and picked up seven yards, and then got three more yards and a first down on his next carry. Penix then threw it away with pressure coming. The handoff to Bijan then lingered a little too long and Austin Hooper didn’t get his block, and the play lost a yard. Penix was way off on the third down pass and the Falcons had to punt. Sydney Brown forced the fair catch.
Jordan Love badly overthrew his first pass of the drive. Then Love found Matthew Golden working against Mike Hughes, who just lost track of the ball. Kaleb Johnson took it about five yards, but it got called back on a hold. A delayed pass to Marshawn Lloyd went for about 15 yards, but Harold Perkins Jr. got called for hitting a player out of bounds to pick up another 15 yards. Lloyd then plunged up the middle for a few yards. Tucker Kraft then grabbed the short pass and bullied his way forward for a first down. A quick pass to Skyy Moore went for nine yards, with Sydney Brown on the start. A first down for about a yard followed by Lloyd, and then Love hit Watson for a touchdown. 7-0 Packers.
Zachariah Branch made it almost to the 30 yard line, but a holding call backed them up. Penix then threw it low to Kyle Pitts, who picked up a few yards. Brian Robinson Jr. then picked up a first down. Brian then got nine yards on his next carry, and as Penix was carried to the ground, he threw it weakly and intentional ground was called. Penix then missed badly on third down, but a roughing the passer call after a Packers defender went high gave Atlanta the Falcons a first down. On the next play, Bijan broke it after one great block by Charlie Woerner, powering down the sideline, cutting it in, making a Packers defender fall down, and getting Atlanta all the way to the five yard line. Bijan then plunged ahead for a yard or two, and on second down cut it back inside to score the touchdown. Brilliant drive by Bijan and it was 7-7.
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Back to the 30, and then a short pass from Love was stopped quickly with a nice tackle by Kendal Daniels. Billy Bowman Jr. then reached up and tipped a deep pass from Love. The Falcons got to love and then he threw it away, just getting his guy for a gain of about six yards.
2nd Quarter
Branch took the kickoff out of the end zone—unwisely—and got back past the 15. A quick screen to Branch went for about five yards. Bijan waited for his blocking and plunged ahead for a first down. Penix then fired one to Dotson, who worked his way ahead for a first down. Brian Robinson then avoided a tackle for about 13 yards. Penix’s pass was then tipped and fell harmlessly short of Drake London. Bijan then got maybe a yard cutting inside. A screen to London then went for a handful of yards, well short of the first down. The punt landed around the 10 and was waved down for a fair catch.
The first down carry for Johnson went nowhere. Then Love overthrew Kraft down the sideline. On third down, Divine Deablo drilled Jordan Love as he threw, and after review it was ruled an incomplete pass. Punt, and Branch called for the fair catch just short of the 40.
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A quick swing pass to London got seven yards after he put a Packers defender in the dirt. Bijan then fought through a ton of contact to plunge ahead and pick up the first down. Olamide Zaccheaus then picked up five yards. Bijan then waited for blocking and went outside for another first down. Brian Robinson was brought down for a loss of three on the next play. London juked a man out on a screen and picked up eight yards. A quick pass over the middle to Zaccheaus picked up three yards. Nick Folk then hit the 44 yard attempt to make it 10-7 Falcons.
The Packers got the ball to the 33 on the kickoff. Mike Hughes was called for pass interference on the first down deep shot, though he tripped rather than tried to intentionally mess with the receiver. Five yards on the ground followed and then Love’s ball to Watson was broken up by Henderson. Golden then went up for the deep shot and Henderson was right there and made a nice play to break it up. Trey Smack’s field goal attempt was blocked by Zach Harrison.
Penix connected with Drake London over the middle for about 20 yards. Bijan then took it three yards. Penix then threw a laser to Hooper just shy of a first down. Penix then fired one to London to the sideline for a first down and then some. Bijan then made a series of subtle cuts and picked up a first down, and took the next carry about six yards. Bijan stumbled a bit and was tackled for a loss. On the next play, Penix fired one in to Austin Hooper for a touchdown, his first one in a Falcons uniform in a minute. 17-7 Falcons.
On first down, Henderson broke up the pass. A quick pass to Golden got eight yards and Hughes knocked him out of bounds. On third down, Jessie Bates hit Kraft hard and knocked the ball loose. Punt.
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The Falcons had it deep, and pressure came early with Penix dirting it near Bijan. A quick handoff to Brian Robinson Jr. took us to halftime.
3rd Quarter
Bo Melton took it past the 30. Love hit Jonnu Smith for eight yards. Love then got Golden for a first down. On the next play, Love hit Watson sitting in a spot in the zone. A pressured Love then missed Moore. A screen to Moore got the first down for Green Bay. Jessie Bates was injured on the play. A quick carry by Lloyd went for a couple of yards. A quick carry that looked likely to bust a big gain turned into nothing with a nice tackle from Hughes. A Watson catch and dive came up a yard short of a first down. Love under pressure on fourth down threw it out of the end zone. Turnover on downs.
Robinson then got seven yards on first down. Bijan then made some crazy cuts to get 31 yards, and then the Packers were called for illegal contact and five yards. Brian Robinson Jr. went for about seven yards, and then plunged ahead for another six or so yards and a first down. Bijan slipped on the next run, got up, and got a yard. A quick pass to Bijan went for a couple more yards. Then Penix put it right in a streaking London’s hands for another first down. Bijan took it about five yards from there, and plunged ahead for four more yards on the next carry. Then Brian Robinson Jr. made a nice cut with some nice blocking and scored his own touchdown. 24-7 Falcons.
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Love then missed low on the next pass under pressure. On second down, Love was hit as he threw, it bounced off Billy Bowman Jr., and then into a Packers receiver for a five yard gain. Love then got the first down, and then found Kaleb Johnson for a first down. Harold Perkins Jr. then almost intercepted Love on the next pass. Cameron Thomas then caught Love from behind for a sack and a loss of a yard as he tried to get away. Love then badly missed Golden on third down. Punt.
Brian Robinson Jr. took it nine yards, but a holding call backed it up. Bijan then took it seven yards.
4th Quarter
Another Bijan carry went for three yards. Penix then hit a wide open Drake London for a massive gain of 68 yards. Penix then avoided pressure to hit Brian Robinson for a good gain, but a holding call on Jawaan Taylor backed the Falcons up. The Falcons lost two yards on the next carry, and then Penix hit London for about 12 yards. Folk hit the field goal to make it 27-7 Falcons.
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A quick panic pass went off the hands of a Packers running back. Kraft then dropped a pass. Love then finally connected with Watson on third down for a big third down that went 34 yards. A couple of incompletions followed. Love under pressure short-armed one that was caught for about three yards. Love then hit Moore for a first down. Love then connected with Watson for another first down. Three yards followed on a quick pass. Golden then reeled in a touchdown grab on the next play to close the gap for Green Bay. 27-14 Falcons.
Brian Robinson Jr. took it out to the 37 yard line. Bijan then took it five yards, and picked up another three yards on the next play. Bijan then plunged for a first down before Brian Robinson Jr. took it two yards. Penix then got London on the sideline, London got a cornerback to slip, and he picked up 40 yards. Bijan then picked up nine yards on the ground. Bijan then waited for a little blocking and went up the middle for a few yards and a first down. Bijan then went in untouched for another touchdown, and the Falcons went for two to ensure a three touchdown lead with a Penix pass to Chris Blair to make it 35-14 Falcons.
Moore took the kickoff almost to the 30 but Nick Muse got him. I was half paying attention after this point, understandably, but the Falcons got to third down. Love did find Watson for a first down on the next play. Then he had to dirt it. A quick pass was stopped after five yards by Perkins. Love was then hit as he threw on third down for an incompletion. Then Love threw it right at Xavier Watts, who almost had a pick but dropped it when he hit the ground. Love then hit Golden, who got the Packers inside the 15. Love’s pass was then broken up. Then Watts did get the interception to seal the game.
The Falcons then kneeled it out.
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