The Atlanta Falcons needed a win in the worst way on Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers, and they got one, emphatically with a 35-14 win on the road.

The story coming into the game was the return of Michael Penix Jr., but it turned into the Bijan Robinson show in part because of a quarterback who posed a threat to actually throw the ball beyond the line of scrimmage.

Atlanta got off to a slow start before dominating the Packers, and here are seven fun takeaways from the win.

Slow and Steady

Michael Penix Jr.’s first drive back since November of last season looked a lot like the drives from Cooper Rush and Jack Strand, at least how it ended: with an interception.

Penix started with a screen pass to Bijan Robinson, threw incomplete up the left side to Jahan Dotson, and then threw an interception on a pass over the middle. The throws looked different with their placement and trajectory, but the drive ended with a similar result. The Falcons’ defense picked up Penix’s first mistake with a three-and-out against Jordan Love and the Packers.

After a slow start, it looked like it only took about a quarter for Penix to knock the rust off. He started the first half 1 of 5 passing with an interception and was 12 of his next 14 with a touchdown to tight end Austin Hooper.

Even the early misses helped open up the running game for the Falcons. Atlanta’s ground game is good enough with Bijan Robinson that even a minimal threat to the perimeter of the defense is enough to give them enough room to thrive. 

Even with the early interception, the Falcons have to be thrilled with what they saw from Penix on Thursday night. Penix finished the night 18 of 25 passing for 256 yards and a touchdown.

You’re Witnessing Greatness

As bad as the quarterback play has been this year in Atlanta, Bijan Robinson has been the antithesis. He’s been so good. Falcons fans from the 80’s will remember how good William Andrews and Gerald Riggs were for some horrendously bad teams, and fans have been worried Robinson could suffer the same fate.

Robinson didn't single-handedly win the game for the Falcons, but he certainly was the battery that jump started the team.

Teams can know he’s coming, be in position to stop him, and still not lay a finger on him. Robinson broke open a run at the end of the first quarter when the Falcons hadn’t shown any threat of a passing game. The only threat was Robinson, and still:

That Other Robinson

Yes, Bijan is special. But Brian Robinson was running wild on Thursday night as well. He scored a touchdown in the third quarter to put the Falcons up 24-7. He was averaging 6.3 yards per carry at the time.

Whenever a team runs for over 200 yards in the NFL, the offensive line is doing some work. Robinson and Robinson got the touchdowns and the glory, but there’s a reason Bijan was going up to every one of his offensive linemen during a break and giving them some love.

Falcons Defense Gets Some Help 

Let’s roll the calendar back to January. How would you feel if I told you the Falcons wouldn’t have Jalen Walker, James Pearce Jr., or A.J. Terrell? Doom and gloom predictions likely would have followed.

Instead, the Falcons defense has been a strength of this team. They understandably buckled after a flurry of turnovers from the team’s offense last week, but they got help from the offense this week.

Atlanta entered the game with the league’s No. 1 rushing defense at 63.0 yards per game. They gave up just 12 in the first half, and the Packers finished with just 17.

The Falcons’ third-down defense has been good so far this season. At one point in the third quarter, the Packers were 2 of 8 on third down before converting the third. The Green Bay faithful gave the home team a sarcastic cheer for finally converting. The drive stalled three plays later on a missed third and 11.

Unsung heroes included reserve cornerback CJ Henderson and edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, who have provided a boost to the team that wasn’t expected when the summer started.

Welcome Back Billy 

Billy Bowman Jr.’s return happened at an ideal time with A.J. Terrell hitting injured reserve. Bowman is a nickel, and Terrell plays outside, but his return gave more depth to the room, and allowed defensive coordinator Brian Ulbrich to mix and match to cover for Terrell.

Bowman had a crucial pass breakup at the close of the first quarter that announced his return. Bowman was off to a fast start as a rookie before missing a block of games early in the season and then tearing his Achilles tendon in December. He’s a physical presence at nickel who is also good in coverage.

Welcome Back Part II

It raised some eyebrows around Falcons Nation when the team waived defensive lineman Zach Harrison in August. Harrison had battled injuries, but he was productive when he was available. The gamble paid off for the Falcons when they were able to get him back to the practice squad, and they re-signed him to the 53-man roster this week.

Harrison rewarded the Falcons with a blocked field goal late in the second quarter, preserving the team’s 10-7 lead.

Game On:

It may have been just one game, but it felt like so much more than that. The Falcons dominated the Packers on the road after looking like one of the worst teams in the NFL the first two weeks. They didn’t need Michael Penix Jr. to play hero ball to win; they just needed him to look like a competent NFL quarterback. 

At times, he looked like more than that.

The Falcons are only 1-2, and the Packers might not be very good when all is said and done, but beating bad teams in the NFL will get you a playoff spot in the NFC South.

The Falcons now have 11 days off to collect themselves and get ready for a Monday Night showdown against the New Orleans Saints. A win against their biggest rival to even their record at 2-2, and the first two weeks of the season would become a distant memory.

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