The Atlanta Falcons have life.
The Atlanta Falcons are headed into Week 4 now at 1-2 after their victory over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football which had fans as excited as they've been in some time.
The return of Michael Penix Jr. was the story of the night, but Penix's big night after bouncing back from a brutal start was far from the only thing for fans to be encouraged about coming into a new week. The two biggest starts on the team were exactly that in Drake London and Bijan Robinson, and Penix looked more and more comfortable as the game went on.
Beyond just the offense, it was also a sensational defensive performance which continues on the early season trend for this team. Week 1 was tremendous, and though things got a bit away from Atlanta in Week 2 on defense as well as offense, Week 3 was a masterclass in stifling an opposing offense.
While there is of course much work to do from here, at the end of the day the way this team showed up in their first of three primetime games is the latest sign that they are not only not going to continue to be humiliated like in Week 2, but could be a legitimate contender.
Falcons Are Going to Be Factor in Playoff Race
The reality with the NFC South is that it still may be the worst division in football. This works to Atlanta's benefit in that the path to the postseason is much more realistic even for a team who may not be quite ready to be considered a Super Bowl threat.
If Penix can have a great year, perhaps that conversation could be had at some point, but even if he is able to just manage the game weekly like he did on Thursday after the first drive, this is a Falcons team that can beat a whole lot of folks around the entire league.
Atlanta showed that this team in 2026 despite being an afterthought over the first couple of weeks is simply someone who has to be paid attention to in the playoff race. The Falcons have not been looked at that way in some time now, and even though the division has been in play for years, Atlanta has not seized it.
Perhaps this might be the year that changes if Thursday night was a representation of what this team could be moving forward.
