Commanders @ Falcons
Final Score: Falcons 34, Commanders 27
Writer: Geoff Ulrich (@thefantasygrind on X/Twitter)
This was a very entertaining game. Both offenses were able to move the ball and showcased some great play-making ability, but it was the Falcons’ stars who lived up to their top billing and stole the show. Michael Penix Jr. and Bijan Robinson had what was likely their best games as a pro (Penix undoubtedly was his best) while Washington played well but had their defense exposed by the arm talent of Penix. Washington is a decent team, but needs their QB back fast if they are going to do anything this year, while Atlanta took a huge step in the right direction after last week’s blasphemous performance in Carolina.
Three Up
- Michael Penix Jr. — Best game of his career; huge rebound from last week.
- Drake London — This is the London you drafted early, expect fireworks the rest of the way.
- Bijan Robinson — Also was the best game of his career, looked like a WR playing RB.
Four Down
- Darnell Mooney — One target after a poor game last week. Unfortunately left this game with a hamstring injury.
- Ray-Ray McCloud III — A brutal drop and a non-factor.
- Zach Ertz — Atlanta defends the TE position well, and he was a ghost this week.
Washington Commanders
Quarterback
Marcus Mariota: 16-27, 156 yards 2TDs, INT | 2 carries, 20 yards
I don’t have too much to say about Mariota. It was a typical game we’ve seen him numerous times in Atlanta and as a backup in Washington. Inefficient passing, but still capable of making some decent throws. Overall, a very high-end backup who fits in well with Washington’s system and gives them a chance to win every week.
He looked Deebo Samuel‘s way a ton in this game, but he has also been using Luke McCaffrey well, and the two hooked up for another score. Mariota hung in the pocket well and fired to him over the middle, once McCaffrey broke free.
If Mariota gets another game or two, it’s good for Deebo, but everything else in this offense gets downgraded.
Running Back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt: 7 carries, 47 yards | 2 receptions, 10 yards
I think Jacory Croskey-Merritt is pretty obviously the Commanders’ best-looking back. His issue is that Chris Rodriguez is a very underrated between-the-tackles runner, and the team likes Jeremy McNichols for pass protection.
Croskey-Merritt had a couple of really nice runs between the tackles in this game, but with the Commanders trailing and their defense unable to get stops, he was never really allowed to get going. They did get him more involved as a receiver, and he had a 14-yard catch called back for a penalty away from the play. That’s a good sign as he’s really the only RB getting used in the pass game.
Overall, I expect his role will increase, but you’ll need to stay patient. If Washington keeps losing, it’s possible they will finally stop giving McNichols snaps.
Chris Rodriguez: 7 carries, 59 yards
Really solid game by Rodriguez, who started and ran hard again when given the chance. His best play was a 39-yard run early on, where he found a seam inside and then made a slick move and outran a couple of LBs to get the edge.
He’s a nothing in the pass game, but I ultimately see Rodriguez and JCM forming a one-two punch similar to Robinson-Allgeier for Atlanta.
Jeremy McNichols: 2 carries, 3 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 0 yards
A non-factor, but the Commanders like his pass-protecting, and he still played a lot of snaps. JCM owners need to see McNichols out of the picture before they can feel confident.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Deebo Samuel: 6 targets, 6 receptions, 72 yards, TD | 3 carries, 9 yards
Samuel has looked great early on. He acted as the Commander’s primary receiver all game once again and was still able to get open a lot, despite seeing primary coverage. His TD came later on a nice corner route in the end zone, where he managed to beat his defender cleanly to the spot, and he was once again involved in the rush game, although the Falcons did a great job of limiting him in that area.
I’m sure he won’t get this treatment every game when Terry McLaurin gets back, but he has been their best receiver to date. I expect Mariota and Daniels to lean on him when he gets back, especially if the latter’s knee is not 100% yet.
Luke McCaffrey: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 21 yards
Luke McCaffrey has stepped up with McLaurin out. He’s more of a slot or gadget player, but they are using him exclusively at WR (slot) right now, and it’s working, especially in the red zone. He made a nice play to get big separation on a crossing route and again had Mariota looking his way on what was a long developing play.
Washington would be wise to work him in more, but his 3 targets didn’t exactly stand out much. He’s really just a situational player for them, even now with McLaurin out. Someone to keep an eye on, but not really playable.
Zach Ertz: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 21 yards
The Falcons have a solid pass coverage unit, especially against TEs, so I wasn’t overly shocked to see Ertz get bottled up. He doesn’t get great separation, so good defenders are often able to bottle him up, which is what appears to have happened this week.
Ertz is still a great safety value against teams with great pass rushes, so I expect we’ll see him pop up again, but this was mostly a matchup thing. Not someone I’d get overly worried about if you have been using him, as his hot start wasn’t sustainable anyway. Against worse coverage units, he should be fine.
Jaylin Lane: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards
Jaylin Lane also had three targets and had a deep end zone target, which didn’t connect. He’s acting as more of the deep ball threat with McLaurin out, while McCaffrey is coming in more when the field gets tight. Lane looks really good to me and had a step on the deep throw that didn’t connect. I’m just not sure he’s a factor this season unless T-Mac is out a long time.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Michael Penix: 20/26, 313 yards, 2TDs, 1 INT | 4 carries, 2 yards
I don’t say this lightly, but this was one of the best performances of the season, from anyone playing the QB position. Penix was slinging it all over the field throughout the game, making difficult throws both downfield and near the line of scrimmage, which gave his skill players the space to go and make plays in the open field.
He connected with Drake London numerous times on intermediate routes. London took full advantage of a Washington secondary that really struggles against opposing WR1s. He also worked far better in this game with Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts, who scored the final TD of the game on a great play action near the goal line, where Penix hit him in stride and he just bullied past the defender to the pylon.
Penix had one mistake where he tried to fire a pass on the sideline to London and just overestimated his arm strength, and the defender jumped and snagged it. You can’t blame him, as he was beating Washington with throws like that all day. His big play to Robinson was a short pass, but he timed it perfectly, waiting for him to beat his defender and then hit him in stride so Robinson could cut upfield at full speed.
Just a great game and a player you need to think about streaming against weaker pass defenses.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: 17 carries, 75 yards TD | 5 targets, 4 receptions, 106 yards
Robinson was all over the field in this game. His big play was a short pass out of the backfield where Penix hit him in stride, and he outraced a couple of DBs, but he had better plays than that. On one catch, he looked like a WR on a crossing route, snatching a ball that was a touch too high out of the air for a 10+ yard gain.
Atlanta looks like they’ve fully awakened to the mismatch potential with Robinson as a receiver and maybe even read my notes from last week, as they were continually getting him in space in the run game while letting Tyler Allgeier be the hammer inside. Robinson has sky-high potential for the rest of the season.
Tyler Allgeier: 16 carries, 51 yards, TD
Decent bounce-back game, and the Falcons made a point to get him involved early. If Atlanta’s offense is going to operate with this sort of efficiency, Allgeier is going to have standalone value every week.
He got stymied on a lot of inside runs, but the Commanders are a top rush defense, and he still managed to break off a 19-yarder and score a TD. Very underrated player and someone you can use in a pinch on bye weeks, especially if the Falcons are favorites and up against a weaker rush defense.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Drake London: 10 targets, 8 receptions, 110 yards, TD
Dominant game. London took advantage of a weaker Commanders secondary that came into this week, allowing the 8th most FP to opposing WR on the season. What you have to like most about London’s performance is that the Falcons stopped trying to get fancy and working everyone else in, and just fired the ball to London most of the contest. Even the Penix INT was aimed at London.
This was the connection with London and Penix we saw towards the end of last season, only better because they were never this efficient last season. I expect London will struggle a little with tougher DBs, but don’t expect Penix to move off him again after this game. The Falcons should be sticking with him as their primary target the rest of the season.
Kyle Pitts: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 70 yards, TD
Lost in all the praise here is Kyle Pitts, who finally took a step up and established himself as the legit number two option in this offense. I’m not sure why it took so long for the Falcons to make this move, but whenever London was covered, especially in big moments, Penix would look to Pitts, who made several big plays down the middle and kept the Commanders off balance.
I mentioned his TD from up above, and it was a relatively simple play, but he executed it well. As a Pitts owner, you have to love that the Falcons called his number down near the goal line, especially with the entire Commanders defense honed in on Robinson.
The big three of Robinson, London, and Pitts, with Allgeier and Mooney mixing in, are going to give defenses problems the rest of the way.
Darnell Mooney: 1 targets, 1 receptions, 15 yards
Mooney got downgraded in this game after his brutal Week 3. He did look good on his only target, a 15-yard sideline grab that he hauled in, but I wasn’t shocked to see Atlanta go to Pitts more this week.
He’s a solid number two WR, but is just a couple weeks back from injury, and Atlanta looked like they were forcing it to him too much in Weeks 2 and 3. If someone drops him after this, I wouldn’t hesitate to stash him as he’s a great handcuff for London and also will have weeks where he’s the number two target over Pitts. Mooney did leave this game with a hamstring injury, so we’ll have to monitor his practice status to see if he’ll suit up in Week 5.
Ray-Ray McCloud III: 2 targets, 1 reception, -7
Had a brutal drop and looks on the verge of getting benched.
Casey Washington: 3 targets, 1 reception, 19 yards