The Washington Commanders host the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. The game kicks off at 8:20 pm EDT in primetime Sunday Night Football on NBC.
This game features two rookie quarterbacks who trained and went through the draft process together. It also has major playoff implications. Neither team has clinched a playoff berth, and both teams need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Commanders are in better shape than the Falcons, but a loss for either team is detrimental.
Michael Penix Jr. got the first start of his NFL career last week against the New York Giants and was successful in leading his team to a 34-7 victory. But Jayden Daniels has been starting all season, winning 10 games so far, and is it really even bragging to beat the Giants?
Despite the hype around Penix and the Falcons’ performance last week, there are three reasons to be optimistic about Washington in Week 17.
Jayden Daniels is more established than Michael Penix Jr.
Having your quarterback be established and acclimated to the NFL in their rookie season isn’t easy. Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t had much in-game opportunity to acclimate to this league. On the other hand, Jayden Daniels has been on the field for every game this season. He understands how the game works and how to run his offense, and he has a much better understanding of what decisions to make and when.
Penix leading the Falcons to a win over the Giants truly isn’t much to stand on. The Giants are terrible this season. But it gives the Falcons some momentum heading into a matchup that they must win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Except they have to contend with the Commanders’ offense, too, which will be the Falcons’ downfall.
The Commanders can make the Falcons one-dimensional
The Commanders have the fourth-ranked pass defense in the NFL. Against a rookie quarterback with minimal in-game experience, the Commanders have a real opportunity to make the Falcons a one-dimensional team. Against the Giants, Penix threw for 202 yards, but he won’t be able to do that against the Commanders this week. Instead, the Falcons will be reliant on Bijan Robinson to move them down the field. Knowing this, the Commanders can focus on how to stop him with their assets without diminishing the impact of the pass defense.
Shutting down the Falcons passing game shouldn’t be difficult for the Commanders, so it’s important that they focus more on containing and stopping Robinson.
Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t recorded a touchdown in 2024
The Falcons scored four touchdowns on the Giants in Week 16, but two of those touchdowns were pick-sixes. Bijan Robinson punched in the other two. Given the Commanders’ fourth-ranked pass defense, this suggests that Penix won’t walk out of Landover with his first score either. This again bodes well for the Commanders’ ability to focus on the ground game and stop the Falcons’ biggest threat.
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