After a brutal start to the season, the Atlanta Falcons have looked much better since starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. returned. The team is 2-2 and tied for first in the NFC South after Monday’s performance, and NFL analysts are backtracking on their thoughts that this year could repeat the 2025 team.
On a recent episode of ESPN’s _Get Up, Good Morning Football_ co-host Kyle Brandt apologized for his opinions on the number of Falcons primetime games this season before seeing the team’s potential after Monday night.
> “They’re the best and I want more!”
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> @KyleBrandt apologizes for saying the Falcons have too many prime time games 🏈 https://t.co/MiriiTJGyo
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> — Get Up (@GetUpESPN) [October 7, 2026](https://x.com/GetUpESPN/status/2107840958838563187?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
“I would like to address this apology to NFL schedule Czar Mike North. I apologize, Mike,” Brandt said. “I wasn’t familiar with your game, and I should have been. We all sit here whining and complaining about how many times the Falcons were in prime time; I think we need more. I love the Falcons in prime time. You didn’t do it enough, and after a couple weeks of the Atlanta Falcons pre-Penix, they didn’t even enter the red zone.”
“They weren’t even on the red zone channel. We all said, ‘What are you doing?’ and Mike says, ‘Hold on, let me cook?’ And now they’re the greatest show on turf; I love it. You were right; you knew better… There were segments on this very show about ‘the Falcons?!’ Now they’re the best, and I want more.”
The Falcons face a tough task, with the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers lined up in the coming weeks. Despite the Falcons’ impressive Weeks 3 and 4, the whole cast of _Get Up_ still isn’t completely sold on them to win the division outright.
“Let me ask you a serious question: Michael Penix has the key with it; he has unlocked all of these weapons we’ve been waiting for in Atlanta. Are they gonna win that division?” Host of _Get Up_, Mike Greenberg, asked.
“I’m going to say yes, but let’s not sleep on the Carolina Panthers,” former NFL pro Jason McCourty answered. “The night before, on prime time, they looked unbelievable too. The division actually matters this year; that’s the beauty of it. We have two teams that can compete.”