4 winners and 5 losers from Falcons’ late-game collapse against Ravens: QB questions resurface after Michael Penix Jr. injury
The Atlanta Falcons had the Baltimore Ravens on the ropes for three quarters on Sunday Night Football. Here are the players and decisions that defined the loss, from a swarming secondary to a fourth quarter worth forgetting.
The Atlanta Falcons looked like they were about to keep the good times rolling with a statement win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was dealing, the defense was suffocating Baltimore, and then it all fell apart.
The Falcons let a game they controlled for three quarters slip away in overtime, and the damage could linger well beyond one loss in the standings. Let’s get into the winners and losers from a disappointing night for Atlanta.
Falcons winners vs. Ravens
S Sydney Brown
Brown set the tone early with a big forced fumble on Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, and he was all over the field all night long.
S Jesse Bates
That Brown forced fumble turned into a scoop and score for Bates, who was just as active as Brown from start to finish.
S Xavier Watts
Watts rounds out a tremendous night from the Falcons’ safety room. He came up with a big pass breakup against Andrews late in the game.
For three quarters, all three of those safeties, along with most of the Atlanta defense, were flying around the football field. Ravens quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley looked exactly like what he is, a backup quarterback. The truth is, they did a great job. They just didn’t do enough, and we will get to that in a minute.
WR Drake London
London had his way with anybody in the Baltimore secondary who lined up across from him. He finished with seven catches for 118 receiving yards, a great day at the office.
Falcons losers vs. Ravens
4th Q-OT defense
When you lose a game like this one, there are going to be more losers than winners.
Fourth-quarter and overtime defense: It has to start here. The Falcons played three great quarters on defense, but eventually they completely wore down. Derrick Henry went to work, and Huntley started turning into a Lamar Jackson-lite version of himself. Those last two drives, a touchdown with a two-point conversion followed by the game-winning drive, cost Atlanta the game as much as the offense did.
CB Mike Ford Jr.
Ford was a part of that late-game collapse. Huntley and the Ravens offense picked on him, and Tez Walker also gave up a touchdown. Neither looked good when it mattered most.
QB Michael Penix Jr.
Penix was going to be a winner because the Falcons were going to win this game. Unfortunately, he lands in the losers category, and it has nothing to do with his play. This is a quarterback who has torn his ACL multiple times and dealt with shoulder injuries. He then wasn’t able to be on the field for the game-winning drive because of something going on with his ribs. Once again, the durability question hangs over his head, and it is a major dark spot for Atlanta.
Michael Penix Jr. stats vs. Ravens
- 19-32 passing
- 240 yards passing
- 1 TD pass
QB Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa had one job. Come in, try to orchestrate a drive, and put out a winning effort. He did anything but that. The first play on that final drive was an absolute dot, and the Falcons got vertical and moved up the field. Then he threw a meatball sub straight to Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton. I don’t know what he saw or what he was thinking, but that interception ended the game.
HC Kevin Stefanski
In my opinion, Stefanski has to be the fifth and final loser. He decided to punt the ball on fourth-and-8 when he could have taken a shot at a Hail Mary or even tried a lateral to win the game. Instead, he basically punted for overtime, knowing what was happening to his defense. He knew it was wearing down, and he knew Henry was starting to impose his will.
Beyond that decision, the quarterback situation is bad. I’m not saying any of it is his fault, but Stefanski is probably looking around wondering what he got himself into with this Falcons job. He thought he had something with Penix, and now his quarterback is hurt again while the backup throws the game away.
Atlanta let a winnable game against a quality opponent get away, and nobody knows what the rest of this season looks like at quarterback.

