FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Week 1 provides a unique challenge, even when facing a familiar opponent. Tendencies are a year old, and no one has shown anything on tape. The Buccaneers clearly entered Week 1 intending to limit Atlanta's ability to utilize Michael Penix's Jr.'s arm talent and ability to push the ball down the field. The Buccaneers tried to do this by playing slightly more zone than their 2024 average would suggest and sending fewer blitzes than you would expect from a Todd Bowles defense. In Week 1, Tampa Bay blitzed on just 28.3% of Atlanta's dropbacks, a 10.3% decrease from its 2024 average of 38.6%.

This strategy had an impact as Penix averaged a modest 6.9 air yards per attempt, far short of the 10.2 air yards per attempt he averaged over his three starts at the end of 2024. The first-year starter was undeterred though. Penix showed he was willing and able to take what the defense gave him, connecting on 23-of-30 pass attempts under 10 air yards for 234 yards and a touchdown, according to Next Gen Stats.

Penix went 18-for-27 (69.2%) for 200 yards, one touchdown and posted a 104.6 passing rating against zone coverage against Tampa Bay. What does this mean for Sunday night's game against the Vikings? Minnesota played the fourth-highest zone coverage rate (88.4%) in the NFL in Week 1. Penix and the Falcons are likely to see another defense that tries to put a roof over the deep passing attack. They can also expect to see a fair share of extra rushers as the Vikings blitzed at the eighth-highest rate (37.2%) in the league in Week 1. Under defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings have the highest blitz rate in the NFL (45.9%) in each of the last two seasons, 50.7% in 2023 and 41.9% in 2024.

Penix showed improvement against the blitz in Week 1, connecting 69.2% of his passes, including the 50-yard touchdown to Bijan Robinson and boasted a 126.4 passer rating on 13 such dropbacks. Compared to his three starts in 2024, Penix improved his EPA per pass attempt from 0.06 to 0.57, according to Microsoft Copilot's analysis of every blitz he's faced. Penix wasted no time showing his improvement against the blitz, connecting with Robinson for a score the first time Tampa sent pressure.

Robinson's score was no ordinary run of the mill 50-yard touchdown. It was an early illustration of Robinson's uncanny ability to make defenders miss and Penix's sound decision making in the pocket.

According to Next Gen Stats, Robinson had an expected yards after the catch of 16 yards. Thanks to his agility that turned into 50 yards after the catch. Robinson's 36 yards after the catch over expectation was the highest on a single play in Week 1 and the second highest of his career. The 36 YACOE were the most by a running back on a touchdown since Week 9 of the 2024 season, when Buffalo's Ray Davis had 41 YACOE on a 63-yard touchdowns catch.

Penix illustrated his patience in the pocket on Robinson's score, working through his progressions before flipping the ball to Robinson. His 3.42 second time to throw was nearly a full second longer than the 2.56 seconds he averaged for the rest of the game. This patience helped him connect with four different receivers for more than 50 yards, while five different receivers had three-or-more catches. He will need to lean on his quick processing ability to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers to overcome a tricky Vikings defense.

New faces making an early impact

Over the past several years, one of the biggest topics of discussion when it comes to the Atlanta Falcons has been the pass rush. With the return of Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator, the additions in all levels, on top of the talent retained from the 2024 season, many were curious to see what the new identity of this unit would be. Ulbrich has preached throughout the offseason that he wants his group to play with a level of intensity and a sense of urgency, along with mental toughness, when they step on the field to attack opposing offenses each week, and that showed on Sunday.

The unit forced back-to-back three-and-outs to start the game for the first time since the 2022 season. It also marked the first time the Falcons have opened the season with consecutive three-and-outs since 2015.

Atlanta generated a quarterback pressure rate of 40.5%, the ninth-highest rate in the NFL in Week 1.

The heavy rotation on the defensive line led to the unit having nine different defenders generate at least one pressure, including having three players with four pressures each in Divine Deablo, Ruke Orhorhoro and rookie edge rusher James Pearce Jr.

Pearce even led all rookies across the league in pressures, with Abdul Carter of the New York Giants and Shemar Stewart of the Cincinnati Bengals right behind him with three.

Though Atlanta had some potential game-changing missed opportunities against the Buccaneers, they were still effective and showed physicality, and the pieces they've added certainly have made a difference already. Let's dive into a few quick hitters to see their impact.

Dominating Deablo

In his debut, Divine Deablo totaled six tackles, one pass defense and combined with rookie corner Billy Bowman Jr. for a sack. He became the second Falcons player since 1995 to have at least five total tackles, one pass defense and a half sack in their first career game with Atlanta.

He also generated a 44.4% quarterback pressure rate, helping the Falcons to rank top 10 in that category in Week 1.

Rookie DBs in Action

Rookie defensive backs Xavier Watts and Bowman both earned starting jobs after strong training camps, and rightfully so. Watts showed just a glimpse of the 'ballhawk' player he was described as coming out of Notre Dame, becoming the first Falcons rookie since 1994 to tally at least five tackles (6) and two passes defensed (2) in his NFL debut.

Bowman's versatility and physicality showed as well. He notched six tackles and a half sack, becoming the 10th rookie in franchise history to record a half sack-or-better in their NFL debut. He was also one of only two rookies (Carter, NYG) to register a half sack, according to TruMedia.