The Atlanta Falcons' 34-27 win over the Washington Commanders looked much more like what everyone expected this team to look like entering the season.
The offensive line controlled the game, helping the running backs to big gains and giving Michael Penix Jr. enough time to throw the football.
In what was a big win, here are the four Falcons who showed out and three who struggled.
Falcons winners and losers in Week 4 win over Commanders
Winner: Michael Penix Jr., QB
Along with Zac Robinson, Michael Penix Jr. looked like a different person this week. He was calm and confident after he was rattled last week.
The young QB went 20 for 26 for 313 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. His 12 yards per completion especially jump off the page.
One play that really summed up his improvements was on the wheel route to Bijan Robinson. He saw Bobby Wagner get caught up in traffic and didn't hesitate to hit his star running back, leading to a 69-yard gain.
BIJAN ROBINSON. 69 YARDS.
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 28, 2025
CBS | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/NAhhZ6v5JZ
Loser: Raheem Morris' time management
Raheem Morris fumbled last year's end-of-game clock management against the Commanders, and he fumbled the end-of-half scenario on Sunday.
After the defense forced a 3rd-and-10, Morris didn't call one of his three timeouts with just over a minute remaining. While he was likely pressuring Dan Quinn into taking one, you shouldn't let that time run off the clock.
It seemed as though he was going to let it go to half, but then he took a timeout on fourth down, and the offense responded by throwing three straight incompletions. They were forced to punt, which was nearly blocked, leading to a head-scratching sequence by the head coach.
Winner: Drake London, WR
We finally saw the Drake London from last year on display. After three weeks of struggles, the superstar receiver broke out, catching eight passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.
His impressive catch down the field and clutch third-down catch in the fourth quarter went a long way in determining the final score. Hopefully, he can keep the momentum through the bye week.
Loser: Ray-Ray McCloud III, WR
The Atlanta Falcons need to keep lowering the snap count of Ray-Ray McCloud III. The second-year Falcon hasn't been good, costing his team more than he has helped them.
His drop to open the game made us all think Here we go again. He has struggled catching the ball and putting the ball on the ground. There just hasn't been much to like for McCloud this season.
Winner: Brandon Dorlus, DL
Brandon Dorlus is the best player that no one is talking about. The second-year lineman out of Oregon has stepped up in a big way as a versatile piece in Jeff Ulbrich's defense.
On Sunday, he made play after play up the middle. He got Marcus Mariota off his spot consistently and made a big impact in the run game.
Loser: The former Falcons
There weren't many losers for the Falcons in this game, so let's look at things from a different perspective. The two former Falcons, Dan Quinn and Marcus Mariota, came up short against a team coming off an awful performance.
Giving up 34 points to an offense that was shut out a week ago felt like the most Falcons thing ever—luckily, they were on the right side of it this time.
Quinn's defense looked awful, while Mariota had a big mistake on the Xavier Watts interception in the second half.
Winner: Jalon Walker, EDGE
While it doesn't show up on the stat sheet, Jalon Walker was a superstar against Washington.
The first-round pick's pure speed and versatility were big pieces in the win. Much like Dorlus, he helped get Mariota off his spot and disrupted the run game. His effort also showed up routinely.