​ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 11: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Atlanta Falcons looks to pass against the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter of a game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 11, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images We knew that even a banged-up Ravens team would be a tough out for the surging Falcons, but that Atlanta could increase their chances of a win by playing a clean game that played to their considerable strengths. That’s not what we got. Instead, the offense looked shaky throughout the first quarter and into the second quarter, with iffy run blocking and Michael Penix Jr. running ice cold. The Falcons defense forced a fumble that Jessie Bates took to the house to give Atlanta the lead, and Penix did get untracked in the second quarter to lead a productive drive. But the Falcons fought field position issues caused by multiple special teams penalties, struggled to consistently pick up yardage on the ground, had notable miscues in run defense, and tried to get a little too cute on key fourth down and red zone plays in ways that ended up harming the effort. The Ravens, who kept settling for field goals and sticking with what they knew they could do with Tyler Huntley under center and talented backs to bring to bear, made this a tense game as a result even as Jeff Ulbrich kept them at bay and held to 15 points through three quarters. It seemed like the Falcons would still cruise to a win when they went up eight points with not much time left in the fourth quarter, but instead Huntley found endless success on passes over the middle against a gassed defense, including a touchdown, and then Derrick Henry converted the two point try to tie things up. The Falcons, with 40 seconds left, couldn’t get close enough for a field goal try in regulation.That left overtime, and a gassed defense down CJ Henderson kept showing cracks as Huntley and Henry marched down the field. Jeff Ulbrich has had answers for just about everything this year, but as the game wore on, unproductive blitzes and iffy run defense came to doom Atlanta. That left Tua Tagovailoa, in for an injured Penix, to try to lead a heroic drive down the field to tie things up or win outright down 30-23. He connected on a nice ball over the middle to Drake London and then immediately threw an interception to end things. It felt like a game the Falcons would lose as soon as the Ravens got deep into Atlanta territory late in the fourth quarter, and one of the nastiest things I can say about this game is that it felt extremely familiar. Ghosts converged on this team from every angle. The shoddy run defense that cost them repeatedly in 2025 was especially costly against a Baltimore team that knows how to run the ball. Penix’s familiar problems with pressure and accuracy, which were largely absent the past two weeks, cost the team opportunities in a way that also proved costly. Mike Hughes’ coverage struggles and the team’s depth woes at