Dirty Birds Dispatch: Penix poised to start vs. Bears

FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons have been beaten badly. They’ve also beaten teams handily. In Week 5 they had a lead late, then saw it slip away for the first time.

It’s been, as running back Bijan Robinson says, a roller coaster. But the Falcons feel they’ve learned plenty about themselves — and who they’re becoming.

“I think the identity of this team is being built, especially these first five weeks,” Robinson said. “But now it’s just understanding how to go finish games the right way. But we’ve been on a little roller coaster, but now it’s time to stay consistent and do what we’re supposed to do on the field.”

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski wants his team to be built on running the ball and stopping the run. They fell short in both aspects in a 30-23 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens on “Sunday Night Football,” a good barometer against a likely playoff team, though Baltimore was without star quarterback Lamar Jackson.

No matter, the Falcons have set the groundwork of an identity rooted in a strong defensive front and a potent ground game led by Robinson. The rest of their pieces are still falling into place, and growing pains — like the sequence that saw a 23-15 lead inside the final minute against Baltimore turn into a crushing home defeat — are a natural byproduct.

Now comes a new week. The Falcons (2-3) face the Chicago Bears (3-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Let’s dive into the state of the franchise entering Week 6.

Penix plans to start

Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who didn’t play in overtime after taking a big hit to the ribs late in regulation, told reporters Wednesday he’s confident he’ll play Sunday.

“They get better every day,” Penix said of his ribs. “I know I’m going to continue to feel good. I just got to stay on top of my rehab and just make sure I’m doing all the right things.”

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Penix underwent MRI imaging and additional scans Monday, and all tests came back positive. While not entirely pain-free, he was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and took all the first-team reps under center.

“It’s not always comfortable, but I made every throw today,” Penix said Wednesday. “So, you take with that what you want.”

Who starts for the Bears?

While the Falcons appear to have their answer under center, the Bears are still waiting for theirs. Bears coach Ben Johnson described the situation as “fluid” Wednesday. Quarterback Caleb Williams, who’s missed the last three games with a hamstring strain, was estimated as a full participant in Chicago’s walk-through practice.

If Williams can’t play, the Bears are still deciding whether to roll with Tyson Bagent, their primary backup who struggled in a 31-7 loss to the Packers, or veteran Case Keenum, who led Chicago to a victory over the Eagles in Week 3.

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The Falcons will “prepare for everybody on the roster,” Stefanski said.

“Obviously, Caleb Williams is tremendous and so talented and can make every single throw,” Stefanski said. “He’s a very, very, very good young quarterback and has the stats and the wins to back that up. They also have two guys that have started and won for them. … Of course, there’s differences in play style, but we have to make sure we prepare for the entire roster.”

Deablo takes blame as run defense falters against Henry, Ravens

The Falcons had the NFL’s best run defense through four weeks. They knew Week 5, against a Ravens offense that ranked No. 4 in the league and is spearheaded by superstar Derrick Henry, would be their biggest test.

Atlanta didn’t grade particularly well.

• The Ravens rushed for 208 yards, more than the Falcons allowed in the first four weeks combined.
• Opponents were averaging 2.7 yards per carry. The Ravens averaged 5.9 yards per carry.

Falcons linebacker and team captain Divine Deablo took blame for the defense’s struggles.

“I’ll put that on me, for real, for real. We got to be better as a whole, but I definitely gotta do better myself,” Deablo said. “I was just sometimes trying to make a play, getting out of my gap — I got to stay in my gap, make sure I do my job plus one.”

Stefanski gave credit to the Ravens but said the Falcons had plenty to clean up.

“There’s so many fundamental things that we can do better, and they’re the little things that add up to being the big thing,” Stefanski said.

Dexter, Dorlus one of NFL’s best pass-rushing duos

Stefanski recently said sacks can be liars, and perhaps no tandem better proves his point than Falcons defensive linemen Gervon Dexter Sr. and Brandon Dorlus.

Together, they’ve combined for a half-sack. Subpar, right? Look at their pressure numbers, courtesy of Next Gen Stats.

• Dexter and Dorlus have each generated 20 pressures this season, tied for the league lead among defensive tackles.
• Their 40 pressures top the league among defensive tackle duos and are eight more than the next-closest duo.

According to TruMedia, Dexter leads all NFL defensive tackles in pressure rate at 14.5%. His closest competitor? Dorlus, who checks in at 14.2%. Sack numbers don’t show it, but Dexter and Dorlus are harassing quarterbacks — often.

“I think Brandon has won his one-on-ones. I think I’m doing a good job at winning my one-on-ones as well,” Dexter said Wednesday. “So, you got two guys winning their one-on-ones. That’s obviously great. So, we’re just playing off each other. He’s winning, I’m covering. Or I’m winning, he’s covering and trying to get pressure up the middle.”

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Deep threat Dotson opening up Falcons’ offense

The Falcons have plenty of mouths to feed on their offense, but the emergence of Jahan Dotson — the team’s No. 2 receiver but No. 4 target behind receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts and Robinson — is an important development for the group to reach its ceiling.

Through the season’s first three games, Dotson caught only four passes for 41 yards on 11 targets. His workload hasn’t particularly changed, nor his target share. But his impact certainly has.

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In the Falcons’ last two games, Dotson has four receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown. He posted identical two-catch, 54-yard performances in Weeks 4 and 5. He’s caught passes of 36, 31, 23 and 18 yards, asserting himself as a viable deep threat and explosive playmaker.

With Dotson, the Falcons have a receiver capable of taking the top off defenses. And with opponents forced to account for Dotson, it opens up opportunities for the trio of targets above him on the pecking order.

“It helps tremendously,” London said Monday. “He’s such a smooth route runner. And then when the ball gets in his hands, he’s special. I’ve seen that from watching him in college. He’s just a (yard-after-catch) demon.

“So, once we get that going and he keeps on fitting it into the offense and all of us keep on fitting into this new offense and building, I think it’s going to be amazing.”