Behind these three key factors, hawks find rhythm and success

The Atlanta Falcons finished the game with a 34-7 win over the New York Giants.

That’s right, it’s been 56 days, almost two months, since the Falcons scored more than 30 points, and there are three main reasons why they did it on Sunday.

Bijan Robinson is a stallion

Is there anything Bijan Robinson can’t do?

There may be one thing: he cannot be attacked by the first defender who sees him. According to Pro FootballReference, he entered Day 8 of the NFL season with 19 broken tackles (a number that feels a bit low) and may have added two or three more on his final touchdown run to put Atlanta ahead 17 to expand -7.

Atlanta’s standout defenseman has been a sign of consistency in a season that has been anything but eventful. His 10 games with more than 100 scrimmage yards ranks him second in the league, behind only Saquon Barkley and the surging Philadelphia Eagles.

Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson made it clear that he was going to bring Michael Penix Jr. into the game alongside Robinson, and that’s exactly what he did.

Robinson finally reached more than 100 scrimmage yards for the 11th time this season, finishing the game with 94 yards on the ground and nine yards through the air.

Michael Penix highlights a big day for the offense

Speaking of Penix Jr., how about this for a first impression?

The numbers aren’t the most impressive, as his first half was just 9 of 16 for 116 yards and a… questionable, yes, that’s the right word, interception at the end of the half. In fact, that interception was symbolic of the offense’s lack of chemistry, as the Falcons’ receivers struggle to adjust to the left-handed quarterback’s rotation of the football. Atlanta’s receivers entered Sunday ranked seventh in the NFL with 17 drops through the first 14 games; You have four today.

While Penix didn’t put up mind-blowing numbers, he exceeded expectations in his first start, appearing as calm and collected as you’d hope from the 24-year-old rookie.

He hit the Giants in the middle of the field, finding Drake London and Darnell Mooney on crossing routes.

He throws to the outside with timing and anticipation, layering throws for first downs.

Have the Atlanta Falcons found their new franchise quarterback? It’s too early to say definitively, but there’s no doubt that Penix made a lasting first impression on Falcons fans.

What has gotten into this Falcons defense?

Since 1994, as far as we have play-by-play data on Pro-Football-Reference, the Falcons haven’t had a single game where there were two pick-sixes in the same game. The broadcast revealed that the last and only time the Falcons did this was in 1983.

Atlanta’s defense allowed an early touchdown to Tyrone Tracy and since then, New York’s offense has been as follows:

• Pick six
• punt
• Fumble
• Pick six
• punt
• punt

Additionally, they increased their late-season pass rush by two more sacks, held Drew Lock to fewer than 100 yards passing, and held the running game to 3.7 yards per carry on 12 carries.

This Falcons defense had one job against an inferior Giants offense: not to embarrass itself. They went one step further and completely destroyed Lock and this struggling offense.

Oh, and Malik Nabers largely didn’t play a role until the final stretch of the game. The Falcons have to keep top weapon Terry McLaurin out of the game for Washington next week, so that’s important.