The Atlanta Falcons are in yet another “must win” situation this Sunday as they head to Washington D.C. to face the Commanders, and this team is not the New York Giants. The Commanders are also in a situation where winning the division is not likely, so in a sense, the teams are both fighting for the same playoff spot. Last weekend, the Commanders went toe to toe with the NFC East leading Philadelphia Eagles and won in a 36-33 shootout. In that game, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels threw 5 touchdowns while throwing for 258 yards and running for another 81. While these numbers are great, they should not concern the Falcons or Falcons fans.
Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts left this game in the first quarter after suffering a concussion, and backup quarterback Kenny Pickett finished the game. The way that this game went down should have Falcons fans gleaming with positivity headed in to Sunday Night Football. The Commanders defense gave up almost 400 yards of offense to the Kenny Pickett-led Eagles. 150 yards of that offense came off of the legs of running back Saquon Barkley, but that should also make Falcons fans gleam with positivity. While Saquon Barkley leads the NFL in all-purpose yardage from scrimmage, Falcons’ running back Bijan Robinson is sitting in 3rd, only behind Ravens running back Derek Henry. The most glaring X-factor in this game is definitely Falcons’ rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr making only his 2nd NFL start. While he does have more NFL experience, you have to believe that Kenny Pickett is not the same quarterback as Michael Penix Jr, and looking at the tape of both, Penix looks a little better, even though it has only been a short sample size. While Michael Penix Jr. may not run as much as Daniels, he has very similar escapeability, and we all know that he has superior arm talent. John Fricke dives a little deeper in to Sunday’s showdown with the Washington Commanders.