Falcons Beat Packers: 3 Takeaways from Comeback Victory

The Atlanta Falcons came back to win against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2.

In a highly competitive matchup against the Green Bay Packers (1-1), the Atlanta Falcons (2-0) emerged as the lone undefeated team. They kept their place atop the NFC South following a fourth-quarter comeback.

Here are three takeaways from Atlanta’s Week 1 victory ...

Desmond Ridder deserves credit

This offseason, many analysts mocked the Falcons for not trying to acquire Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, as his ugly contract negotiations had many sending the former MVP to Atlanta in trade rumors.

Flash forward to the present day, and the criticism that the Falcons lacked a leader at quarterback and would struggle to make the playoffs is somewhat nullified. Ridder looked every bit like the leader Atlanta needs to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

It wasn’t always pretty. Ridder threw his first regular-season interception in this game and had another one dropped by Jaire Alexander, but you could tell that this job means everything to him and that the locker room respects him.

Ridder would finish with 10 carries for 39 yards and his first NFL rushing touchdown, to go with 237 yards passing, going 19/32 for 237 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception. However, his energy following some clutch runs and passes as the team made their comeback showed that he’s a young leader who should continue to improve.

Jonnu Smith is competing with Kyle Pitts

After a failed stint with the New England Patriots, tight end Jonnu Smith seems to have carved out a role for himself in his first season with the Falcons.

In a tight end room featuring Kyle Pitts, a man who many general managers were projecting to become a Hall of Famer when he was drafted following his freakish combine, Smith was the better receiver today.

Pitts was out-targeted by Smith six to five, and didn’t do anything to warrant an argument as to why he deserved to be the go-to target amongst tight ends. Smith finished with four receptions for 47 yards compared to Pitts’ two for 15 yards.

There’s no arguing that Pitts isn’t the more athletic of the two tight ends, but after an up-and-down start to his career, it’s hard to ignore that a player once compared to an alien is now a man who is competing for targets amongst tight ends on his own team.

Electric rookie running back Bijan Robinson had his first 100-yard rushing game against the Green Bay Packers

Bijan is the clear alpha running back

Last week, many were surprised at how much usage second-year running back Tyler Allgeier had after Atlanta drafted Bijan Robinson higher than any rusher since the New York Giants drafted Saquan Barkley second overall in 2018.

Now, their roles seem to be more evident. Allgeier handled 46 percent of the rushes for the Falcons running backs this week after handling 60 percent in Week 1. In this game, Allgeier demonstrated that he’s a bruising back and elite complement to Bijan, but in the clutch moments, it’s the rookie who is trusted to make the play.

A gusty call in the fourth quarter saw head coach Arthur Smith give the ball to Robinson on a make-or-break fourth down where the team trusted him to extend the drive so much that it risked not scoring points. He rewarded his coach’s confidence by picking up the first down and sending the game to the two-minute warning before an eventual game-winning field goal.

This was Bijan's first 100-yard rushing game, and he made it look easy by averaging 6.5 yards per carry and adding four receptions on five targets for 48 yards. 

With a second victory behind them, the young Falcons playmakers will spread their wings and fly to Detroit for Week 3 so that they can face the hungry Lions coming off of an overtime defeat.