FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Falcons aren't making excuses for missing the playoffs, but at the same time, they're excited for the future. They know the future is bright.
Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Michael Penix Jr. made NFL history in the season finale versus the Carolina Panthers. In 105 years of the league, no team had ever had a 300-yard passer, a 175-yard receiver and a 150-yard rusher in a single game who were all under 25 years old.
"These guys are superstars. They're not good players — they're superstars in the making," Falcons defensive tackle and team captain Grady Jarrett said. "Excited to see them continue to grow and continue to blossom. ... Those three guys are pillars for our team. They're gonna score a lot of points, and I want to be part of that because they [are] about to really, really take the league by storm."
The last three No. 8 overall picks have become the Falcons' "big three," a term used by Falcons head coach Raheem Morris. They feel like they've unlocked something special with the trio in the three games they've played together.
London was the first of the three to join the team in 2022. The wide receiver had two good seasons to start his career but broke out in his third year. He finished fourth among NFL receivers with 1,271 receiving yards, and ranked among the top 10 with 9 touchdowns and 100 receptions.
"It's gonna be special, man," Penix said of his connection with London. "We're just now starting. It's only going to get better."
Robinson, who was drafted in 2023, was the next piece of the puzzle. In just his second year in the league, Robinson reached an elite echelon. He finished the season ranked fourth in yards from scrimmage (1,887), third in rushing yards (1,456) and second in touches (365). Robinson also forced 117 missed tackles, the most in the NFL this season, according to Next Gen Stats. His 15 touchdowns were tied with Saquon Barkley for seventh-most in the league.
"I told Bijan yesterday I was like, 'Man, some of the stuff you do is crazy,'" Penix said. "I watch him, I hand the ball off and I got to carry on my fake. Sometimes I want to peek to see what he's doing. He's a special player."
Penix has some special qualities of his own, though, and has done things at the quarterback position that demonstrate his tantalizing potential.
The Falcons drafted Penix in 2024 with the thought that he'd be their quarterback of the future. That future arrived earlier than expected in Week 16 against the New York Giants, but the rookie was ready. From his very first start, Penix showed the talent scouts noted in the draft process. He continued to show maturity through the end of the season.
Penix threw for 775 yards and three touchdowns in five games. In his three starts he averaged 245.7 passing yards which would put him just outside the top five in the league this year if he carried that through a full season.
In a small sample size, though, the moments matter perhaps even more than the statistics. And Penix had some special moments.
"He's got a freaking rocket, and he can sling the ball," London said. "He's got that dog in him. He's somebody who's a winner, and I think you see that just right off the gate."
Penix showed poise in must-win games down the stretch. Even though he went 1-2 in those games, he forced overtime with game-tying drives to end regulation and both losses ended with walk-off touchdowns where he didn't touch the ball.
"That's where he's different," Morris said. "The trust that this staff has in this young player to be able to execute some of those things is probably a little higher just because of who the guy is – the poise, his attention to detail, to be able to explain it to him very calmly from the headsets, from the field, to watch him know that he's got to get this ball up and down in five seconds so we can kick this field goal if we didn't get the completion. For him to have the two shots to Drake [London] at the end of the half was situational ball at its finest."
While there's hope for the future, perception of talent can only take a team so far. The Falcons know this well. That's why they're intent on putting in the work and proving it next season.
"The fans got a little taste of what it could possibly be, and I think we're going to strive for that every game now," London said. "[In the] offseason, we've got to get after it and get right, because we want to get into the postseason and start playing for something real."
