How good can Falcons offense be after Saints steamroll? ‘Sky’s the limit’

NEW ORLEANS — Memories often correlate with places, and as Drake London stood on the sidelines Monday night at Caesars Superdome, he couldn’t get his mind off Jan. 7, 2024.

London said he still remembers then-Saints quarterback Jameis Winston deciding against taking a quarterback kneel and handing off to running back Jamaal Williams for an insignificant touchdown in a game already well out of hand.

Nearly three years later, London savored every drive while the Falcons scored their most points in a decade in a 45-24 win over the Saints in New Orleans.

“For me, personally, I just didn’t forget about Jameis Winston, how he was supposed to take a knee when we were here and they wanted to drive in,” London told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution postgame. “So, if we could run the score up, then why not?”

The Falcons scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game, a 59-yard scamper from running back Bijan Robinson that quieted a loud, energetic crowd. They punted on their next two possessions. Then, excluding end-of-half and end-of-game scenarios, they scored every series from thereon out.

All told, the Falcons scored on seven of their nine full possessions, including each of their final six. They had three complete drives in the second half. All ended in touchdowns. Every series, no matter their lead or win probability, Robinson said the Falcons told themselves they had to score. By and large, they did so with little resistance.

“Oh, it’s special,” Robinson said. “You just take the air out of the opposing side. It’s a great feeling, because, like, they can’t do nothing else. They’ve got nothing left, really. So for us, it’s our job to continue to put the hammer in the nail and score on these drives.”

The Falcons racked up 420 total yards of offense behind a relentlessly balanced attack.

Michael Penix Jr. went 15-for-20 passing for 223 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers. He took only one sack, which also served as the Saints’ lone quarterback hit.

The Falcons’ offensive line allowed just four pressures, and, according to Next Gen Stats, the Saints didn’t record a single pressure with four or fewer rushers — the first team to accomplish the feat since the Detroit Lions since Oct. 9, 2022.

Robinson rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns, while fellow running back Brian Robinson Jr. added 62 yards and three touchdowns. All told, the team rushed for 205 yards. It’s the first time since 2010 the Falcons have rushed for 200-plus yards in consecutive games.

Through two games under Penix’s leadership, the Falcons’ offense has averaged 40 points — most in the NFL — and 459 yards per game.

Now, with an efficient passing attack, a potent run game and a stout offensive line, the Falcons have earned the right to dream about just how good their offense can be this season.

“Really good,” receiver Jahan Dotson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution postgame. “We have all the weapons to be a really great offense. I’ve been around great offenses, and we have the capability to do that. So, we just got to keep putting our foot forward, keep getting better week to week and keep doing what we’re doing.”

Falcons right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who spent the past three seasons blocking for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, said he thinks Atlanta’s offense can be “amazing.”

“I feel like it could be one of the best in the league,” Taylor said, “if we just keep stacking weeks and stacking days and working hard in practice. I think we could be really good.”

The Falcons averaged a staggering 7.5 yards per play Monday night, their most since 2018. The team’s five rushing touchdowns matched a franchise record, and, according to Next Gen Stats, it’s only the second time in team history two Falcons players logged multiple rushing touchdowns in the same game.

Dotson made his first splash play of the season, a 31-yard touchdown catch from Penix, while London hauled in five passes for 96 yards. Tight end Kyle Pitts, who caught only two passes in the season’s first three games, notched three receptions for 47 yards, headlined by a 28-yard catch-and-run.

The Falcons’ plethora of weapons morphed into one comprehensive unit Monday night, and a balanced buzz saw became the final product.

“The sky’s the limit, man,” Brian Robinson Jr. said. “We can be as good as we want to be, as long as guys continue to come in week in and week out and continuously improve, finding new ways to get better.”

Such is the Falcons’ mindset moving forward. Left guard Matthew Bergeron said there’s “a lot of stuff to clean up,” including a few negative runs and missed identifications. Bijan Robinson, the natural locker neighbor of Brian Robinson, noted the sky being the limit is a “big thing to say,” but he and his teammates say they truly believe the Falcons left plays on the field.

“If we clean those up,” Bergeron said, “we could be a very dangerous offense.”

So, a trip to the drawing board awaits the Falcons. They’ll look at the mistakes, try to fix them and move forward. After a 420-yard, 45-point performance, that may be a quicker-than-usual process.

Penix said he isn’t necessarily happy or excited about what he and the Falcons have shown thus far. He remains unsatisfied. His teammates are following his lead.