Take Five: 5 quick takeaways from the Falcons’ win over the Vikings

Romo had five field goals and the defense added six sacks and a couple of turnovers, helping the Falcons improve to 1-1.

Here are some quick takeaways from the Falcons’ victory:

1. Under pressure: The Falcons notched five sacks in the first half, their most in a first half since 2009. It was a marked difference from last week’s opener, when they only had one sack and didn’t get much pressure on Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. What was more impressive was that the Falcons’ first-round rookies, James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker, each posted a sack, showing a glimmer of the hope when they invested heavily in the draft. They finished with six sacks, and the pass rush made a notable mark on the game, keeping the Vikings off balance.
2. The new guy: With the Falcons opting to promote kicker Parker Romo from the practice squad in place of Younghoe Koo this week, it was bound to be one of the big storylines. Because, of course. Romo connected on all five field-goal attempts: from 38, 29, 33, 33 and 54 yards — no extra points needed until the final scoring drive — and likely staked a claim to being the Falcons’ kicker for at least another week.
3. Good start: Tight end Kyle Pitts has had back-to-back good games to start the season. He was integral to a couple of drives in the first half that led to field goals, getting the Falcons off to a positive open to the game. Pitts hasn’t been able to replicate his rookie season, when he was a Pro Bowl selection, posting 68 catches for 1,026 yards. After posting seven catches for 59 yards last week, Pitts had a team-high four catches for 37 yards in Sunday night’s game. It’s not just about the numbers; more than that, it’s also about the fact that he can be a somewhat-reliable option, even on third down.
4. Finding Bijan: With his big play on the first possession last week, Bijan Robinson made his mark on the game, but he didn’t continue that impact throughout the second half. In Sunday’s game, he went over 100 scrimmage yards early, and he had some big runs on the first drive. Robinson was the big offensive option — seemingly more so than the downfield passing game — and when the Vikings’ defense was able to key on him, the Falcons didn’t have many other options to try to get the offense on track. Late in the game, Robinson was outgaining the Vikings, 168-164. He finished with 22 carries for 143 yards.
5. Defense, defense: Along with the pressure on the quarterback, the defense produced an interception and a fumble recovery and helped keep the Vikings on short drives, for the most part. They neutralized Vikings All-Pro Justin Jefferson and confused J.J. McCarthy. The Falcons got off the field, and when the offense needed a big drive, they got one midway through the fourth quarter, and put the game away with the touchdown drive that made it a 22-6 lead. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective with a 5-yard scoring run by Tyler Allgeier.