After a frustrating 30-0 shutout loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Atlanta Falcons are looking to generate more offensive consistency at home this afternoon against the Washington Commanders. The Falcons' offense fell flat in their loss to the Panthers, which was by far the worst start from second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who threw for 172 yards and two interceptions on 18-of-36 passing before being benched for Kirk Cousins.
Following their loss to the Panthers, the Falcons made numerous coaching changes in hopes of improving the offensive output against the Commanders. The biggest key for the Falcons' offense against the Commanders is their performance in the red zone.
In the Falcons' 22-6 week 2 win over the Minnesota Vikings, the Falcons struggled in the red zone and had to settle for five field goals. While that wasn't the case last week, given the fact that the Falcons were shut out, consistency in the red zone will be crucial, especially when facing the high-powered Commanders' offense.
Falcons need to turn back to the run game in Week 4
Commanders second-year star quarterback Jayden Daniels is expected to miss his second straight game with a knee injury, leaving Washington to start Marcus Mariota. With Daniels and star receiver Terry McLaurin sidelined, the Falcons need to take advantage of his absence and put up an impressive offensive performance, and that starts with Penix.
The Falcons will need a more consistent performance out of the 25-year-old if they hope to avoid a 1-3 start to the season. The efficiency of the offense succeeds or fails with Penix, as it allows wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Drake London to benefit—and they have yet to do so in 2025.
The Falcons may need to rely on their rushing attack to be successful in the red zone against the Commanders, as the run game surpassed 200 yards against the Vikings. Against the Panthers, the Falcons' running backs ran for 122 yards and Bijan Robinson led the Falcons in rushing with 72 yards on 13 carries.
Tyler Allgeier will need to step up for the Falcons after having a limited role in the loss to the Panthers, where he rushed for only four yards on one carry. This comes after he rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown in Week 2 against the Vikings.
Fans are souring on offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, and the calls for his job are only growing louder as he gets linked to the Oklahoma State head coaching vacancy. Either way, the Dirty Birds need to play to their strengths to get Penix going—which means the run game needs to shine to open up the pass.