Michael Penix Jr. is back under center, and after Atlanta absolutely stomped on the Green Bay Packers in his first start, the NFC South rivals are rolling into New Orleans with some serious momentum for “Monday Night Football.” This isn’t the same Falcons team we saw struggling earlier in the year, and the Saints are going to have their hands full trying to rebound at home.
Atlanta’s Offense Just Went Full Throttle
Let’s talk about what Michael Penix Jr. just did. The Falcons didn’t even sniff the red zone in their first two games, only totaling 524 yards in those two contests. Their offense looked dreadful with Cooper Rush under center. Then, Week 3 hits, Penix Jr. returns from his latest knee injury for his first start of the year, and BAM! They piled up a ridiculous 498 yards against the Green Bay defense on “Thursday Night Football,” splitting it almost evenly with 256 through the air and 242 on the ground. This all happened even after Penix Jr. threw a game opening interception, which is wild. Bijan Robinson and Drake London went completely berserk, too. Robinson racked up 194 yards on the ground, and London snagged 194 yards through the air. You saw the difference immediately. London had just six catches for 80 yards in the first two games with Rush, but with Penix starting, he exploded for nine catches and those 194 yards, showing a monster target share whenever Penix is out there. Atlanta is coming into this game with serious confidence after that destruction.
Saints Looking to Stop the Bleeding
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints are limping into Monday night after a tough 1-2 start. They just took a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders last week, dropping their record, and it wasn’t pretty. They turned the ball over a whopping four times against the Raiders, and their defense got absolutely carved up by Kirk Cousins and Brock Bowers. To make things worse, they lost running back Travis Etienne to injured reserve in that game. The Saints defense has actually been lit up for over 30 points in two of their three games this season, giving up 31 to the Lions and 35 to the Raiders. They did hold the Ravens to 17 points in their other game, but their offense’s combined seven turnovers have put the defense in some bad spots, with opponents starting their average drive at the 34.8-yard line, which is the third closest to the end zone in the entire league. They need to figure out their turnover problem and get their defense straightened out if they want to stop the Falcons’ newfound momentum.
This Monday, October 5, we’ve got the Falcons squaring off against the Saints at 8:15 p.m. ET from Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The Saints are favored by 2.5 points, with an over/under of 47.5, but don’t sleep on Atlanta. The most fascinating matchup of the night has to be Drake London, fresh off his 194 yard performance, going up against Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. Can the Saints bounce back at home, or will the Falcons make it two wins in a row and get back to .500 after that dreadful start? We’ll see how this NFC South brawl shakes out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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