FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Week 1 was everything I thought it would be, and nothing at all. What do I mean by that?

Well, I knew the game wasn't going to be easily won by either team. The last handful of matchups between these two NFC South foes has come down to the wire more often than not. So, Tampa Bay and Atlanta being decided in the final seconds? Yeah, that was expected.

What I didn't expect: The offensive struggles that popped up from time to time. The Falcons' inability to consistently run the ball. And, yes, Younghoe Koo's miss.

It wasn't all bad. But it wasn't all good, either. The Falcons have a big-time matchup coming up against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2. But before we turn the page, you've got questions that need answering. So, let's get into it, and remember to submit questions either on the website or by tweeting your question to Will McFadden or myself.

Camereon W. from Snellville, Georgia

Hey Tori! How would you assess Michael Penix's play overall? I thought he played well and really showed signs of being "The Guy" for us. I liked how calm, cool, and collected he looked all game! I think he will only get better as he gets more reps in live game action!

I was pleased with what I saw from Penix, overall. I thought he handled himself well, and when the game was on the line, he put the team on his back and essentially willed himself into that end zone to keep the Falcons alive. In the pass game, I thought Penix kept the ball out of harms way for the most part. He was fairly clean on short passes under 10 air yards, going 23-of-30. What was surprising about Penix's performance is that he was 0-for-7 on throws beyond 15 air yards. That wasn't something I expected because we have seen first-hand at practice how alive and strong Penix's arm is. However, you have to give credit where credit is due: Tampa Bay's secondary did a fine job taking some of those deep threats away or getting a hand on a ball to cause an incompletion.

Raheem Morris said in his review Monday that Tampa Bay doubled Drake London, essentially taking him out of consideration for Penix more often than not. That, coupled with the Falcons inability to get the run game going, meant Penix had to settle for some shorter, easier completions to keep things moving. I'd also argue not having Darnell Mooney factored into the Falcons' deep ball output, as he is arguably the best downfield threat Atlanta has. Still, I think Penix did well with what he had. There were issues around Penix that made his first game a bit more difficult, and Tampa Bay came in with a very solid game plan that — let's be honest — worked.

Was Penix's first game of 2025 spectacular and without flaw? No. But was it something that makes you feel confident about the direction Penix is going? It should.

Del W. from York, Nebraska

Younghoe Koo badly missed a 44-yard, field goal attempt in the final seconds of Atlanta's 23-20 loss to Tampa Bay in Sunday's opener that would have sent the game to overtime. Should Koo, coming off a career-high nine missed field goals last season, still be a starter based on his performance or should we stick with his emotional debt that he owes the coach?

There are times a coach or player says something that I know in my bones will come up again. Raheem Morris saying Koo has an emotional bank account with him was one of those times. And here we are, talking about it one game in because Koo missed that 44-yarder.

This is difficult, too, because I have a lot of respect for Koo and his story and what he's meant to this organization. But the truth is that whatever is going on is a problem. When you have a head coach talking about having to change strategy and approach because he cannot trust his kicker with anything beyond 40 yards — that's not good or acceptable at this level of football. And it happened Monday. Literally.

"As what happened yesterday, yes. You have to say yes, right? You know, when it goes down that way and you've got to make some of those decisions. It's always going to factor in, particularly when you don't make them. These are the hard truths in what we do. These are the hard things that happen. You've got to be honest with your kicker, and my kicker's Koo. I had to be honest with him, talk about those things with him, and we had great, honest conversations today. And we'll continue to be that way, because I do have confidence in him. I have seen him win games for me before. I have seen him tie it. Last night didn't help, with everything that I've said and everything that we've been through. But he did have an outstanding offseason, kicking the 90% that we talked about. Then last night, it does not look good. When you bang one off the upright to go in on an extra point and then you missed that one to send us an overtime, it definitely affects you."

I don't know what the future of Atlanta's kicking game looks like, because I am also none too confident Lenny Krieg is the guy, either. We saw Krieg nail a 57-yard field goal in the preseason, but then he missed a 53-yarder in the same game. I don't know if Krieg's consistency is any better than Koo's. So, where does that leave Atlanta's kicking game? Well, it leaves Atlanta bringing in other kicking veterans and "up-and-comers," which is exactly what Morris said is the plan.

When you watch a kicker off the street help the Buffalo Bills to a major win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night... When you see kickers casually take a game into halftime with a 59-yarder on Monday Night Football... it puts into perspective how far the Falcons' kicking game has to go.

Mike S. from Calgary

Welp. Not the start we needed this season. Let's try to quiet the (extremely loud and not exactly incorrect) "same ol' falcons crowd" - can you give us some stats or examples of growth from last year that we can look at and say the glass is half full?

The defense. Point blank period. They are inches, milliseconds away from making game-changing plays. Kaden Elliss, A.J. Terrell or Xavier Watts gets their hands on a Baker Mayfield pass? You feel different about this defense. The Falcons bring Mayfield down in the backfield instead of scrambling for 40 yards? You feel different about this defense. I could see the defense left moments out there Sunday afternoon. Big moments. Moments that would have defined the game. They were close. And being that close in Week 1, with a new coordinator and a bunch of new, young faces? I will take that.

The defense had nine different defenders generate at least one pressure, including three defenders with four pressures each (Divine Deablo, Ruke Orhorhoro and James Pearce Jr). What's more, as a unit, the Falcons' pressured Mayfield on 40.5% of his dropbacks. That's nearly double what their average was in 2024. That should get you excited, because it should be just the beginning. They're just scratching the surface.

I know there were moments the Falcons want back — Mayfield's scrambles, the big touchdown to Emeka Egbuka — but they get those moments cleaned up? Or better yet, they cause a couple turnovers? That would be a major change for Atlanta from 2024 to 2025.