Michael Penik Jr. claims the Falcons are ‘legit’. Here’s why he’s 100% right

The Atlanta Falcons have been one of the more difficult teams to read so far this NFL season, but now their place in the NFC hierarchy is becoming clearer.

Much of the uncertainty surrounding the Falcons stems from one result: a a stunning 30-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers back in week 3. However, Raheem Morris and the company built a pretty impressive resume off of that loss en route to a 3-2 record over six weeks.

The Falcons opened the year with a close loss to the Buccaneers, a loss that felt extremely dated as Tampa Bay went 5-1 and Baker Mayfield is playing at an MVP level. Atlanta also had wins over the Minnesota Vikings, and the Washington Commanders were sandwiched around that loss to the Panthers before their Week 5 bye.

In Week 6, the Falcons put on a show and played some of their best football on the national stage against a Super Bowl contender. They beat the Buffalo Bills 24-14 on Monday Night Football, raising eyebrows around the league and cementing themselves as a playoff contender.

After that win, the quarterback Michael Penix Jr. said the score proves this Atlanta team is “legitimate” as a playoff contender, and Monday night certainly confirmed that. Here’s why the second-year signal caller is right and this Falcons team will be one to watch for the rest of the season.

The Falcons have a deadly running game

Penix is ​​playing under the microscope as a young quarterback as everyone tries to figure out what he is and if he can be the guy in Atlanta long term. The jury is still out on that, but the early returns are positive even if there are some inconsistencies.

Zac Robinson has gotten some of the best out of Kyle Pitts this season, and Drake London had a big game Monday night and looks like a true No. 1 receiver in this offense. But none of that is possible without the running game, which has become the foundation of this Atlanta offense when it’s clicking on all cylinders.

Not only is Bayan Robinson arguably the best running back in the NFL right now, especially with Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry struggling to start this season, but the Falcons have the perfect complement for him in Tyler Allgeier. Atlanta’s wide zone scheme is one of the toughest plays to stop in football, and the numbers bear that out through six weeks.

Atlanta leads the league in rushing yards per game with just over 150 yards on the ground per contest. Excluding Week 1, where Tampa Bay effectively shut down the run, Atlanta also has the second-highest rushing EPA behind only the Colts. Robinson made one of the biggest rushing plays this season against the Bills, with 170 yards and a touchdown on just 19 carries.

If the Falcons can maintain that efficiency on the field, they will do a few things offensively. Above all, he keeps the best player on the team involved and gets the ball in his hands again and again. It will also make life easier for Penix, who will be able to use play-action concepts to find open receivers against box-stacking defenses.

Atlanta’s defense has improved drastically

While the running game is deadly at this point, the Falcons have been able to rely on the ground attack for several years now. What makes this Falcons team feel a little different is the way the defense plays.

The numbers, both from a raw numbers and efficiency perspective, are excellent for the Falcons at this point in the season. They rank first in total yards allowed per game, sixth in total EPA allowed per game and fourth in EPA in passing yards allowed. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s unit also snuck into the top 10 against the run, so this group is doing it in all shapes and ways so far.

Over the years, Atlanta has consistently had one of the most toothless passes in football, but that is not the case this season. Ulbrich’s group currently ranks third in sack rate and sixth in pressure rate this season, but they’re not doing it the traditional way.

So far this season, the Falcons have made 44.9% of their snaps according to Next Generation Stats. That’s the highest mark in the league, and more than NINE PERCENT higher than the second-highest number, which belongs to the Minnesota Vikings at 35.8%. Those pressures came home to really bother Josh Allen on Monday night, and that style makes this Falcons team very difficult to play against.

That kind of blowout is usually unsustainable and could come back to bite Atlanta, especially when it comes to giving up explosive plays. However, it has paid off so far and is clearly a strategy that has helped this defense improve drastically this season.