FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday filled with family, festivities and excellent food. But now it's time to get back to my favorite "f" word: football.

The Atlanta Falcons have another important game ahead of them, but y'all already know that. So, let's skip the remaining pleasantries and get right to what you came here for, some mailbag questions.

David S. from Griffin, Ga.

Hi! Great that they are back in charge of the south, but one thing I noticed in the game was the dropped balls. Especially noticeable in the opening drive. Is there something in his delivery that makes receivers have to adjust to it? The Pitts' flub particularly comes to mind.

The question is a totally fair one, David, but I am also a little hesitant to make a mountain out of a mole hill. The reason I say that is not to minimize the importance of drops, because they do matter and catching the ball is necessity for NFL wide receivers, but because of what you, yourself, pointed out.

After going back and rewatching every snap on offense, I tallied three drops in this game. That's not a crazy amount, especially considering this was the first game with a new quarterback. Two of them came on the opening drive. The first was the Ray-Ray McCloud on the opening offensive play for the Falcons. Given that this was Michael Penix Jr.'s first NFL pass, it's an unfortunate mistake that comes with a ton of extra scrutiny. The second was Drake London's dropped pass just a few plays later on a designed play out to the flat. The third came in the second half on a very similar play to Charlie Woerner.

Atlanta's receivers have actually talked about having to adjust to Penix’s left-handed delivery. As a lefty, myself, I always heard from friends about how the ball looked different when I threw it compared to everyone else. So, I can tell you that is very much a real challenge. However, the players did put in a lot of extra work last week to get ready for Penix's first start, and it's hard to argue with the results.

The Pitts play I think comes down to a player trying to make a play and it ultimately backfiring. He is clearly trying to extend the ball in a split-second decision where I think he felt he was closer to the end zone than he actually was. It's a tough mistake to make, but, personally, I'd rather have a guy trying to make a play than not. He'll need to learn from that mistake, though.

One final note that I'll add here. As someone who grew up watching Michael Vick, I also couldn't help but notice the number of passes his receivers seemed to drop. I've never confirmed this, but I truly believe it had to do with the velocity of his passes. Penix's passes had noticeably more zip on them, and two of the drops in this game happened on short throws. To me, that signifies a little bit of a learning curve — either on the part of Penix or his receivers — for how to handle those short-area passes. Give it a little bit of time, though, and I think we'll see that adjustment. Maybe as soon as this weekend.

Johnny B. from Atlanta

WE'RE SO BACK. That game was the best Christmas present I could've possibly received. Back on top of the NFC South too.

How do you think that blowout win, the type of win that playoff caliber teams have, energizes this team and this fan base going into this crucial prime time bout with Jayden Daniels and the Commanders?

Rise up!

Thanks for the question, Johnny! That win, coupled with Tampa Bay's loss, was the best possible way to head into Christmas week. I couldn't have said it any better, myself.

I think your question, itself, is a testament to how the 34-7 win has energized this fan base. In fact, there was a moment during the game where I felt the energy from the crowd was palpable and among the best I'd felt all season. It actually led to a big laugh between Tori and I, because another reporter had a different reaction to the moment.

To each their own, I guess.

The more important part of your question is how the win energizes this team. I mean, how could it not? Players can see everything we've seen these last several weeks and then some. I felt like the locker room handled everything really well, because going through a quarterback change is not easy, especially when it involves someone as well respected and successful as Kirk Cousins.

But Sunday's win was a much-needed boost, and it involved contribution from a lot of different people. The defense was lights out, the run game was dominant and Penix played his part. That more than anything should get these guys fired up to go play a game in an environment that should feel very similar to a playoff game. What more could you want, right??

Thank you all for today's questions! If I didn't get to yours today, it may be selected in future editions of The Mailbox. The next one will be published Tuesday morning, when Tori will answer your questions.

If you'd like to submit a question for a future mailbag, you may do so here.