The Atlanta Falcons are preparing for their Week 3 matchup against the Carolina Panthers with several notable developments on and off the field. The team, currently holding a 1-1 record, is facing its second NFC South opponent of the season.
One significant decision this week involved the team’s kicking position. After Parker Romo successfully converted all five of his field goal attempts during Sunday Night Football in Week 2, head coach Raheem Morris confirmed that Romo would remain as the starting kicker moving forward. “We’re going to go with Romo,” Morris said Friday. “He earned it last week going 5-for-5, and you gotta go with that again.” Following this announcement, the Falcons released Younghoe Koo and signed Romo to the active roster. Koo leaves Atlanta after playing in 89 games and scoring 700 points, ranking third in franchise history.
On offense, Atlanta rebounded from a difficult rushing performance in Week 1 against Tampa Bay by gaining 218 rushing yards at an average of 5.6 yards per carry during their win over Minnesota. Bijan Robinson continues to draw praise for his performance. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. commented, “He is who everybody says he is. I feel like he’s the best running back in this league, and he shows it each and every day.”
Injury concerns also emerged this week as starting cornerback A.J. Terrell left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury just before halftime and did not return. Coach Morris described Terrell’s status as “week-to-week” rather than day-to-day, noting ongoing competition among other defensive backs to fill his role for Sunday’s game in Charlotte.
“(Dee Alford) got a chance to finish it for us,” Morris said. “He did a nice job, had a knockdown pass and some really good tackles… We want to have those guys go out there and compete at a very high level this week in order to figure out who gets the best opportunity.” Morris mentioned that Mike Clark is returning from a preseason rib injury while C.J. Henderson has been added to the roster; Natrone Brooks offers versatility across multiple positions.
This week’s injury reports included James Pearce Jr., Charlie Woerner being held out of Wednesday’s practice; Kyle Pitts was added Thursday due to a toe issue; on Friday A.J. Terrell was officially ruled out because of his hamstring injury.
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson addressed red zone efficiency following last week’s win: “When you look at it, I think we’re putting ourselves in too many third downs,” Robinson said. “… It’s our job to put the ball in the end zone. Three points is great, but that’s not a good goal to have… we can’t settle for field goals.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s matchup against Carolina, discussions center around quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons) and Bryce Young (Panthers) possibly shaping future rivalry games between these teams along Interstate 85 (I-85). Safety Jessie Bates III shared confidence about Atlanta’s quarterback: “I think those guys will be head of their franchises, for sure,” Bates said, “but I think our guy is much better.”
Statistical highlights show that Atlanta scored more than 38 points and gained over 400 yards in each of its last two games against Carolina—totaling 960 yards over both contests—the sixth-highest mark versus any opponent across two games in franchise history.
Defensively, Billy Bowman Jr.’s early-season performance includes ten tackles, one interception and half a sack within his first two career games—a feat matched by only seven other players over three decades—and making him unique among Falcons rookies since then.
The defense also limited Minnesota Vikings’ offense to six points last Sunday night—the fewest allowed by Atlanta since allowing three points at Carolina in 2019.
Falcons fans can find additional analysis through weekly power rankings from Tori McElhaney or division insights from Will McFadden along with regular mailbags addressing team questions regarding defense sustainability or offensive play calling adjustments.
