Burgundy & Gold Report: Looking to the Falcons

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September 25, 2025

by David Ear

Offense Running Smoothly Under Mariota

Against the Las Vegas Raiders, Washington’s offense averaged 7.4 yards per play, amassing 400 total yards of offense. Marcus Mariota was efficient in place of Jayden Daniels. He completed 72% of his passes and finished with a total 118.6 quarterback rating. Mariota’s 207 yards passing with 1 touchdown was also accompanied by 1 rushing touchdown as he averaged 6.7 yards per carry. The offense as a whole was very efficient as the running game averaged 6.3 yards per carry on 32 carries. Taking away that 60 yard touchdown run by Jeremy McNichols, Washington still averaged 4.5 yards per carry. The reshuffling of the offensive line having Chris Paul at left guard and Andrew Wylie yielded positive results as Mariota was only sacked once plus 3 additional quarterback hits. All that said, yes it was the Las Vegas Raiders and they are still in the process of rebuilding their roster.

This week, against an Atlanta Falcons defense, Washington’s run game will face a team ranked 13th against the run, allowing 4.0 yards per rush attempt. The Falcons’ pass defense has allowed the fewest average yards passing per game (131) thus far and is ranked 2nd, allowing a 57.14% passing completion. They have allowed an average 76 quarterback rating and sack rate of 9.41%, ranked 4th and 6th respectively in the league. Their overall defense in points allowed ranks 13th in the league, averaging 19.7 points per game. While the Falcons appear to have a relatively strong pass defense, Washington will need to establish the run early and open up the passing game. With quarterback Jayden Daniels trending towards starting this game, it will also be imperative the keep their pass rush off balance throughout this game and eliminate these awful offensive penalties early in this game.

Defense

Washington’s defense applied pressure on 58.8% of Geno Smith‘s drop-backs, which resulted in 5 sacks, 8 additional quarterback hits, and 4 pass deflections. Aside from wide receiver Tre Tucker‘s 8 receptions for 145 yards (long of 61 yards) and 3 touchdowns, the defense did very well in containing this offense. They held top rookie running back Ashton Jeanty to 63 yards on 17 carries averaging 3.7 yards per rush. The rush defense has been a vast improvement from last season thus far. Washington is currently ranked 8th, allowing just 3.7 yards per rush attempt which includes holding Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs to 3.7 yards per rush attempt in week 2. Washington has also improved on rushing first downs allowed from 7.5 per game last season (ranked 21st) to 5 this season. The concerning part defensively is the secondary, as despite being ranked 1st overall in allowing a 56.7% completion percentage, they rank 22nd in allowing a 98.7 quarterback rating. This past weekend, quarterback Geno Smith completed 61.3% of his passes but he finished with a 132.7 rating, threw 3 touchdowns, and had no interceptions. In fact, this defense has not generated a single turnover thus far this season. Washington has been able to generate a sack rate of 8.49% and is up from 7.58% last season.

The Atlanta Falcons will bring a strong running game behind running back Bijan Robinson, as they ranked 11th averaging 4.6 yards per rush. Robinson himself has averaged 5.1 yards per attempt; plus, he is a dynamic player with him being a receiver out of the backfield. It’s the Falcons’ passing game that has not been in synch thus far. QB Michael Penix Jr has not thrown a touchdown pass since week 1. He has regressed thus far in completion percentage each week as he completed only 50% of his 36 pass attempts last week. The team as a whole ranked 28th with a 59.43% completion and a quarterback rating of 71.8, ranking them 28th in the league. Although their passing game has certainly not been a strength, the Falcons’ offensive line has done a very good job in pass protection thus far. The Falcons are 4th in the league allowing only a 3.64% sack rate. This matchup will see strength against strength in the run game. While the Falcons have very talented receivers in Drake London and Kyle Pitts, they will only be as good as their quarterback, Penix. What makes the passing game the most interesting is the Falcons’ edge over Washington up front. As mentioned earlier, the Falcons possess one of the better pass-protection offensive lines in the league, going against each other’s top 10 defensive fronts that produce pressure.

This may be the biggest key to this match in the Falcons’ pass protection against Washington’s pass rush. The matchup truly places Michael Penix Jr. as the ultimate wildcard. If Washington can manage a suitable pass rush and their run defense continues to shine, the Falcons will be in for a very long day. Now, if the Falcons can keep Penix’s pocket clean, this could unfold as a get-right game for Penix and can keep Washington’s defense off balance. In this scenario, where the Falcons effectively neutralize Washington’s pass rush, it will potentially lead to Bijan Robinson controlling this game on the ground. So, Washington breaking through this Falcons offensive line and applying pressure on Penix is probably the biggest key to this game.

 

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