FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — We're three games into the 2025 season, and while we don't want to overreact to a small sample size, there's enough on tape to start asking some real questions — and you all definitely are.

The defense is flying around, and Sunday's win gave us a glimpse into what this group can truly be when the front gets home and the coverage holds up. But yes, tougher tests are ahead (here's looking at you, Washington and Buffalo). So, how sustainable is this early success? That's one of the big-picture topics we're tackling on this fine Tuesday.

Also in this week's mailbag: A reader floats a hypothetical Kirk Cousins-to-Cincy trade now that Joe Burrow's banged up (hey, it's mailbag — no idea is too wild to explore), and we take a closer look at what's going on with Drake London's production and how opposing defenses are working hard to take away Michael Penix Jr.'s biggest asset in the pass game.

Let's get to it, and remember to submit you questions for Thursday's mailbag here.

Travis B. from Missouri

OK, I want to get excited about this defense, and from what they have shown so far, I am. But on a level of reality, the Bucs star lineman was out which probably attributed to us putting so much pressure on Baker Mayfield, and J.J. McCarthy statistically holds the ball longer than the other starting quarterbacks trying to read the defense. Do you think we can put up this same pressure on offenses that are healthy and clicking, because we have Buffalo coming up soon. We are going to need the defense to continue their momentum until the offense can learn to get 6 in the red zone more consistently.

You're right on all accounts, Travis. The fact of the matter is that the Falcons' hot start is a thing of beauty, and something we haven't seen from a Falcons defense in a very long time. But you're also right that the Buccaneers offensive line was shaken up in Week 1 and McCarthy's style of play and inexperience factors into his time-to-throw statistics. Still, I think there is reason to believe this hot start can be sustainable for Atlanta. The intensity of which they are playing with, the wrinkles within what they are doing with Kaden Elliss and Divine Deablo's blitzes couples with young playmakers only getting more and more comfortable in their skin and in their roles I think speaks to how far this defense can go. I don't think Week 1 and Week 2 performances for this group is a flash in the pan.

A lot of their success comes from their blitzes. And they blitz a lot. On Sunday night, the Falcons defense sent extra rushers on 43.4% of McCarthy's dropbacks. Those blitzes played into the team's total pressures of 53.3% on all dropbacks. If those blitzes continue to work at this clip moving forward, it's going to be a problem for opposing offenses. And give credit where credit is due here, too: The success of this pressure — particularly when sending an extra man — stresses the secondary, but they've held up their end of the bargain here, too.

I feel confident about this defensive trajectory being real, too, because I was expecting the unit to need more time to be as effective as they have been. I was expecting a few weeks of growing pains, but the fact they are as potent as they have been this early speaks to 1) the players and their buy-in and execution, but also 2) Jeff Ulbrich and his scheme. The numbers don't lie. But I agree that I will be curious to see their overall effectiveness against Washington in Week 4 and then Buffalo in Week 6 after the Week 5 bye. Those two games will be a specific test for this unit. If they can keep Jayden Daniels and Josh Allen uncomfortable, I dare say they'd put every quarterback on notice.

Mark S. from Hegins, Pennsylvania

With Joe Burrow's going down with an injury on Sunday is there a possibility of Atlanta trading Kirk Cousins to Cincy for either defense help/draft picks/other??

As soon as I heard about Burrow's injury and the likelihood of him being out indefinitely, I knew in my bones that all eyes were going to turn to Cousins. However, I don't know if the Bengals are in the position to take on Cousins. The Bengals have $12.8 million in effective cap space available. Cousins' guaranteed salary in 2025 is $27.5 million. He may be too expensive for Cincinnati. There were tweets that surfaced about the Bengals going after Giants quarterback Jameis Winston, but those reports were unfounded. It doesn't seem at this point the Bengals are interested in making a big move.

Head coach Zac Taylor said Monday the team would move forward with Jake Browning as the starter following his comeback win performance in the wake of Burrow's injury Sunday.

"The point that you turn to now is (to be) excited for Jake to go out there and play," Taylor said. "He's earned the right to be in the spotlight. Guys will rally behind him and we'll get Jake's best."

The Bengals also reportedly signed two quarterbacks — Sean Clifford and Mike White — to their practice squad Tuesday. With Brett Rypien already in Cincinnati, it seems the organization is going to move forward with what they've got. I don't think Cousins and the price tag he comes with is worth it to the Bengals at this point in time.

Camereon W. from Snellville, Georgia

Hey Tori! What do the Falcons need to do to get Drake London going? I believe the offense can really open up once London, Pitts, and Mooney are more involved, especially with passes down the field. Some fans are already talking about drafting a receiver next year, but I like Drake and thought he had an excellent season last year. I just don't think he's reached his full potential yet, and I'd love to see him start stacking great years together. Do you think QB inconsistency has been a factor in his up-and-down production? Thanks!

I think the addition of Michael Penix Jr. into this offense has had a noticeable ripple effect in the way defenses play Atlanta. Already five starts in, you have seen both Tampa Bay and Minnesota keep a lid on coverage. It's almost like they have made a pact not to get beat by Penix's arm strength and desire to push the ball downfield. That affects London as much as anyone.

Still, I am not overly concerned two games in. London has been targeted 19 times in two games. He's hauled in 11 of those passes for 94 receiving yards. Is that a little low? Yeah. But knowing the Falcons haven't really been able to connect on anything beyond 10 air yards means that London's stat line is affected by the nature of which defenses are choosing to play Atlanta.

In two games, Penix has not completed a single pass beyond 15 air yards (out of 10 such passes). That's a noticable difference between his three starts last year when he threw for 316 yards on 15-plus air yard attempts. According to Next Gen Stats, that was the second-most in the league over the span of games. Defenses are making a point to take those attempts away. The Falcons continuing to see the run game pick up steam and connecting on some shorter passes, moving the chains in steps not explosives should help chip away at opposing defenses.

With Penix in the pocket, I think its a matter of when not if he can connect on these explosives through the air. London will be the one to benefit from it when he does.