00:00Welcome back in to the Mercedes-Benz postgame show here on the Atlanta Falcons radio network.
00:04I'm Grant McCauley alongside former Falcon Mike Johnson.
00:0745-24 Falcons roll right over the Saints in what was easily the most well-rounded game that we have
00:13seen from the Atlanta Falcons in 2026.
00:16There's your understatement of the show.
00:17It happened here early, so you can go ahead and mark that one off.
00:20But also, I would say the last few years, what we've been looking at, there have not been a lot
00:24of games like this.
00:25A lot of games where the Falcons offense is able to put up 45 points.
00:28A lot of games where you're feeling confident about what you're seeing defensively.
00:31Just all the phases of the game really seem to just be assembled for what was, I'll say in a
00:37lot of ways, at least for this year's Falcons.
00:39Mike, I think this is kind of a signature win.
00:40And when you talk about turning the tide of where this season was heading after week two and where it
00:46is here after four weeks, I mean, it's as night and day as night and day gets.
00:50Games like this just don't really happen that often in the NFL.
00:53And, you know, I got a chance because it's a Monday night football game.
00:56You and I usually are working on Sundays.
00:58I got a chance yesterday to open up the quad box, right?
01:00And I'll save you the time.
01:02I was watching four NFL games at one point that were all one-score games within two minutes of the
01:09end of the game, right?
01:10And so think about that because now the Falcons have played two different games where almost like in college style,
01:17you've made the other team tap out.
01:18Like this looks like, you know, the Georgia Bulldogs where you've gotten to the end of the Vanderbilt game and
01:24you've made the other team tap out.
01:25It just doesn't happen that often in the NFL.
01:27And I wondered coming off the Green Bay game a week ago, is that something that's sustainable?
01:32Does it say more about Green Bay or does it say a lot about the Atlanta Falcons?
01:37I think everybody was kind of wondering that.
01:39Like, obviously it was really good to watch, but what does it say about Green Bay that that's the way
01:43they looked at the end of the game?
01:44And yet this game in a lot of different ways, almost identical to what that one was in terms of
01:49the way you imposed your will on the ground and were able to get things done.
01:53So it was beautiful to watch.
01:54You just don't see other defensive lines, defensive fronts, other teams kind of tap out in the way in which
02:00you've seen the New Orleans Saints in Green Bay do to the Atlanta Falcons over the last couple of weeks
02:04in prime time, by the way.
02:05Yeah, absolutely.
02:06I mean, the lights are as bright as they get in featured games.
02:08A lot of the questions that we were kind of fielding here is, you know, the sports talk scene in
02:13Atlanta was, wow, is the NFL sure it really wants to feature the Falcons in all these primetime games?
02:17The answer is yes.
02:19It was always yes, Mike.
02:20We just didn't know how good it was going to get.
02:22But it didn't feel like it on the outside.
02:24The Falcons had a lot of questions to answer, and all they've done is answer them on the national stage.
02:28Let's hear from the man who was, I guess, overseeing the tap out victory for the Atlanta Falcons over New
02:34Orleans.
02:35That, of course, is head coach Kevin Stefanski.
02:36Our visit with him is brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the official luxury vehicle of your Atlanta Falcons.
02:40Here's Dave Archer with the Falcons head coach.
02:42Kev, big win for your team.
02:44I mean, I don't know really where to start.
02:46I listened to you a little bit after the game, and there's some of the core ideas you want.
02:50Take care of the football was one of them.
02:51You did that.
02:52Yeah, we knew going into this game that was going to be a huge deal.
02:55They've done a nice job in winning that turnover margin.
02:57We felt like that was going to be something that we could get done.
02:59So, CJ's play, I'm not saying that's the game, but that is part of this thing.
03:05When you can take it away and you can go score from those points, that was huge.
03:08Quick start for your offense.
03:10You come out, you decide to stretch them with the pass game a little bit.
03:13Mike's pinpoint with throws.
03:15You had a little one to Drake, then you had the screen to hoop, and then all of a sudden
03:18Bajon breaks out.
03:19Did you want that aggressive attack to start off with?
03:22Without a doubt.
03:22I thought Tommy and the offensive staff did an outstanding job putting a game plan together.
03:26But like anything, you need guys to go execute it.
03:28And I thought across the board, the execution was outstanding.
03:30I was feeling for Tyler Shuck, having played that position, because he was under an assault all night.
03:37How about the pressure you were providing?
03:38Well, I think part of that is being able to stop the run and make a team one-dimensional
03:42and then be able to rush with four, pressure when we pressure.
03:46But I thought the blend of rushing coverage was really nice by Brick tonight.
03:49Just 50 yards rushing for the Saints tonight, really limited there.
03:52And you guys ran for over 200 yards back-to-back games, now over 200 yards rushing for the football.
03:56Yeah, it's hard to do.
03:57It's the NFL.
03:57Well, two weeks in a row is very, very difficult.
04:01Obviously, I have a very stiff test coming into our place next week with the Ravens.
04:05I know what that type of outfit, how they are.
04:07So every week is a challenge.
04:09So long week.
04:10Now you go to a short week.
04:12Quick message you gave your team, get ready to go this week.
04:15Yeah, I mean, good teams play on Monday night, and then they get ready to go on Sunday night.
04:19So we'll get ready.
04:20We'll make sure that we heal from our wounds and then get ready to roll.
04:23Nice job, man.
04:23Thanks, Arch.
04:24Appreciate you.
04:24That was Dave Archer with Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski.
04:28And again, about as complete a victory as the Falcons are going to have, I think, at any
04:32time this season.
04:32A lot of things to be encouraged about in the way that this game was played.
04:36Offensively, there was a great balance.
04:37Michael Penix looked good.
04:38He was very efficient.
04:39And the ground game was by far the highlight, I think, of the night.
04:42But you still had some other big things going on because for Penix to be effective, well,
04:46it's finding some of his featured receivers.
04:48How about five catches for 96 yards for Drake London?
04:51Jahan Dotson dragging in a touchdown as well.
04:53We saw Kyle Pitts get a little bit more involved, too, which I think is also going to be a
04:56key
04:57to finding the right balance, the right blend for this Falcons offense, which I don't really
05:02want to sit here and pick nits after a 45-point output by this group.
05:06But there are just a lot of things that you can feel encouraged about, even if it doesn't
05:09look like this every single game.
05:10Yeah.
05:10And I think the main takeaway from that, you heard Kevin Stefanski, he always does that.
05:15He does a great job of kind of highlighting Tommy Reese and giving credit to Tommy Reese and
05:18the offensive staff.
05:19Kevin Stefanski is an offensive coach, right?
05:20He's a guy that has called plays in this past as a head coach.
05:24And honestly, I fully expected him to call plays here in Atlanta.
05:28I was pretty shocked when he said Tommy Reese would be the play caller.
05:31And so I think he does a good job of heaping praise on Tommy Reese.
05:34I'm usually not a fan of offensive head coaches getting a head coaching job and then not calling
05:38plays.
05:39I'm like, that's literally what got you to that point.
05:41So why are we taking a back seat?
05:42But it's not just that Kyle Pitts got a catch or that Austin Hooper got a catch.
05:47It's the ways in which they're getting catches, the flashing into the flats, the bootleg stuff,
05:51the play action stuff to Kyle Pitts, allowing him to catch the ball and run.
05:55That is what Kyle Pitts was meant to do at the tight end position.
05:58So Tommy Reese does deserve a lot of credit.
06:01I don't think at any point, wide zone be danged.
06:05I don't think at any point that New Orleans defense was able to settle in and understand
06:09exactly how they were going to be attacked.
06:10That's the beauty of having all the offensive weapons that you do and being able to get
06:14it to all parts of the field the way that Michael Penix can.
06:17So it was, it was a beautiful game plan, well executed by the guys up front.
06:21And in the end, again, we have to soak it in as Falcons fans, because you just don't
06:25see games, especially back to back in prime time where you can almost score at will the
06:30way you have the last two weeks.
06:31Yeah.
06:32I mean, it has been incredibly encouraging.
06:34I'm just going to keep using that word because the first couple of weeks, if we're being
06:37honest, was incredibly discouraging because the expectations.
06:40The expectations were that this was a group that was at least going to take some steps
06:43forward and build on some things from a year ago.
06:45The big question, of course, was what kind of player are you going to get a quarterback?
06:49And I guess more to the point, the question was who is going to be playing quarterback?
06:52Now that that question has finally been answered and we're seeing the kind of consistency that
06:57you were hoping to get from Michael Penix, that really just levels up this entire group
07:01and allows them to kind of, I think in a lot of ways, Mike, and you played this game,
07:04you know how this works, find an identity and find that cohesion that is going to build
07:08and allow them to do this and maintain this consistency throughout the course of the
07:13remainder of this schedule, which, by the way, is going to be tough.
07:16It has been and it will continue to be tough because this is the NFL.
07:19Well, and not only that, Grant, but it snowballs, right?
07:22It's the way, that's that way anything.
07:23Guess what happens?
07:24Now you're a lot more excited to go to work than you probably were two weeks ago, right?
07:28You don't mind stepping into those meetings and you know that you're going to be actually
07:32a part of the game plan if you're Kyle Pitts or Jahan Dotson, right?
07:35You know that Michael Penix can do a good job of actually being inserted into this lineup
07:40and getting the ball into the hands of his playmakers.
07:42Not only that, but look, if you're Bajon Robinson, you know that you don't have to carry this
07:47offense.
07:48You don't have to carry the ball 30 times and catch the ball 10 times out of the backfield
07:51on swing routes with guys diving at your legs.
07:53You can have Brian Robinson step in and spell you.
07:56You can have Zachariah Branch do some of the things that you were able to do just a year
08:00ago, Lameda, Zaccheaus, whatever else it may be.
08:02So it is really a nice thing to see.
08:04You know, we'll dive deeper, I'm sure, over the coming days into what exactly all was working
08:09on the cylinder.
08:10But again, if the offensive line is falling forward, if they're falling on their chest,
08:14if they're engaging and driving their legs, it sort of opens everything else up to what
08:18you need it to be and you can kind of put that passing game on the back burner.
08:21Yeah, but that passing game was critical.
08:23Having somebody just that could run this offense and do the things we've seen from Michael
08:27Penix the last couple of weeks is a breath of fresh air after what was kind of gasping
08:31for breath those first couple of weeks.
08:33It has been a total, total, just a tonal change, actually, for the Atlanta Falcons thus far.
