There's no way to sugarcoat it. The Atlanta Falcons got flat-out destroyed by the Carolina Panthers in Week 3 that sent shockwaves throughout the fanbase. The 30-0 massacre saw Michael Penix Jr throw two interceptions before being benched for Kirk Cousins while one of the league's brightest young offenses sputtered against a weak Panthers unit.
It was far from the outcome that the Falcons faithful expected—and that refers to the fans, players, and coaches alike. That frustration was felt across the board, and veteran safety Jessie Bates III was quick to hold himself and his teammates accountable for the dismal performance.
Falcons safety Jessie Bates III: "It wasn't good enough. We know we're a better team than that, and unfortunately it didn't show today. We're a tight group. We win together, we lose together. We got to stick together. It's only Week 3. This game is not going to define who we are…
— Terrin Waack (@TerrinWaack) September 21, 2025
There's a reason the Pro Bowler has been a captain every season he's donned the red and black. Bates serves as the perfect veteran leader for a youthful Falcons' locker room. A loss of this magnitude is never what a fanbase wants to see, especially this early in the season, but Atlanta has all of the talent to bounce back from this in Week 4 against the Commanders.
Jessie Bates III says the quiet part out loud about the Falcons' Week 3 loss
Like Bates said, it's only Week 3. A setback like this is better endured early on in the season rather than while the team is pushing for a playoff berth. It should serve as a wake-up call to Raheem Morris and Zac Robinson that changes are needed in order to maximize this team's potential.
Sunday marked just the sixth start of Penix's young career, and the growing pains have been evident. Even in last week's dominant victory, Atlanta faltered in the red zone and Penix wasn't necessarily sharp on certain throws. But the 25-year-old has plenty of upside—even if it wasn't on display at Bank of America Stadium yesterday.
While the offense has to return to the drawing board, the defense's strong start to 2025 continued. Jeff Ulbrich's unit kept them in the game longer than expected, holding Bryce Young to just 121 passing yards while limiting the damage done by Carolina's offense in the red zone.
Bates III totaled seven tackles, but the true defensive MVP were rookie safety Xavier Watts, who amassed a team-high nine tackles—eight of which were solo tackles—and linebacker Kaden Elliss. Ellis also recorded nine tackles, but added a sack and three tackles for loss
It's not like the offense really did much to help their QB of the future. Drake London is off to an incredibly slow start to 2025, while Bijan Robinson has been anchoring an Atlanta offense that has yet to see a wide receiver or tight end score a touchdown in 2025. It got so bad that once Kirk Cousins entered the game, fans thought he came in to take Penix's job.
Despite the embarrassment in Week 3, the Falcons still have time to right the ship. The talent is there, the defense has shown it can keep them in games, and the 2024 first-rounder remains a quarterback with immense upside. All the team can do now is move forward, focus on Week 4, and confirm that one loss isn't enough to derail the season.