That was a gut check for the Atlanta Falcons. The Baltimore Ravens entered Mercedes-Benz Stadium with their superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson injured against the league's No. 1 defense. Yet, they walked out with their fourth win of the season because they were the more physical team, by far.
The Falcons also lost their quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. who was having an outstanding game, and their big-play rushing offense was nowhere to be found. It was a game they had to take to keep their momentum going.
Here are the winners and losers from their third loss of the season.
Falcons winners and losers in their brutal overtime loss to Ravens
Loser: Quarterback position
Michael Penix Jr. was having a fantastic game until he was barreled in the ribs on their final drive of regulation. He returned for one play, but sat out overtime as they worked on his ribs.
And here came Tua Tagovailoa; He looked right at Kyle Hamilton and threw a game-ending interception. It was a brutal play that looked like his preseason performance all over again. Now, we have to sit and wait to see what Penix Jr.'s status will be in the weeks to come.
Winner: Jessie Bates III and Xavier Watts, S
That was teach tape by the Atlanta Falcons' safety duo.
Jessie Bates III started things by being Johnny-on-the-spot by grabbing Sydney Brown's forced fumble and returning it for a touchdown. From there, it was plays on the ball by the veteran and second-year stud.
Bates and Watts punched the ball out of Mark Andrews' hands on a two-point conversion and late third-down
Loser: Run defense
It didn't take long for fans to realize that this Ravens rushing attack is different from the Packers' and Saints'. The Ravens found success early, helping them control the ball through the first half. Then they absolutely wore down the entire defense in overtime, which was the difference in the game.
It took all of a few rushes for Derrick Henry and Baltimore to break Atlanta's average rush yards allowed. In the end, the Falcons allowed 208 ground yards in their first real challenge.
Winner: Samson Ebukam, DE
Samson Ebukam now has at least half a sack in the last three games he has played in. In his last two, he has two full sacks. He has shown that he can still be a key contributor to this defense after struggling with injuries in recent years.
Loser: Run blocking
Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson had nowhere to run all night long. How many times did we see them get planted in the backfield because the offensive line was pushed back off the snap? It was hard to believe that this was the same line we watched the two weeks prior.
That said, blocking Calais Campbell and Nnamdi Madubuike is certainly a difficult task.
Winner: Kyle Pitts, TE
We were waiting for a solid game from Kyle Pitts, and here it was finally. He came up with several clutch catches that brought you back to last season. His touchdown on Penix Jr.'s rifle through numerous arms was the highlight of his night. Now, can he build on that in the weeks to come?
Loser: Near future
Everything that looked good the past two weeks -- the rushing attack and rushing defense -- looked terrible against the Ravens. And everything that looked really good -- Penix Jr. -- is now injured, with no telling when he will be fully healthy.
So, what does that leave us with? A big problem. The Falcons play the Bears and then the 49ers -- two teams that can run the ball. If Atlanta doesn't have their quarterback for those games, they will be a few games under .500.
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