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

Michael Penix Jr. got his first start of the season, and the Falcons responded with a 35-14 victory over the Packers on Thursday Night Football.

The Falcons dominated the second half with their offense, and the defense stifled the Packers and quarterback Jordan Love.

Here are some quick takeaways from the game:

Finding the QB

It took a couple of drives for Penix to find his footing, but once he did, the tenor of the game changed quickly. Penix started 1-of-5 passing, but he went 10-of-12 after, as the Falcons found balance in the run game and with their quarterback feeling more comfortable in the pocket.

After struggling through the first two games with Cooper Rush starting, things started to look up when Penix connected with receivers regularly. He had completions to seven receivers in the first three quarters, and that distribution helped open things all over the field.

His best throw was a 68-yard pass play to Drake London early in the fourth quarter that helped get the Falcons in the red zone again, after so many struggles in the first two games.

Penix finished 18-of-25 for 256 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but more than anything, he simply stabilized the position and the worries that many in the fan base had that the don’t have a QB.

At least for the time being, they have a signal-caller who can balance what Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. have in the backfield, which was good enough for a win.

Robinson power

Both Bijan and Brian Robinson helped jump-start the offense in the first quarter until Penix found his rhythm.

Bijan had another outstanding outing, including a big 55-yard run, and they combined for more than 200 rushing yards. Bijan (194 yards on 29 carries) had the bigger portion of those, but Brian (50 yards on 10 carries) was a good change-of-pace option and was able to give Bijan a breather during some drives.

That was the projected formula for success, and this was one of the best looks at what the possibilities are for moving forward.

Each scored a rushing touchdown, and they kept things moving until things fell into place. Credit the offensive line also for creating running lanes and giving Penix time to throw. also.

More offense

With Penix’s passing prowess, the Falcons’ receivers also got going. London was the big beneficiary, finishing with nine catches for 194 yards, with the 68-yard pass play contributing a big part of that.

According to the Amazon Prime broadcast, it’s the third time Bijan Robinson surpassed 150 yards rushing and London 150 yards receiving in the same game.

The big takeaway was that London got to show all his versatility, with short slants and big gainers on deep passes. Those pieces of his game had been stifled in the first two games by the quarterbacks’ inability to get him the ball accurately.

This game was the prototype of what the offense can look like, provided that Penix can stay healthy and retain the accuracy he showed.

Tight end Austin Hooper got involved in the offense too, with a pair of catches, including a touchdown catch in the second quarter.

Credit the defense

The numbers don’t tell the whole story of how the Falcons’ defense has played this season, but the eye test from Thursday’s game tells a different version.

They held the Packers’ backfield in check, allowing just 17 rushing yards and forcing Love to throw more, without the option of getting big gains from their runners.