It only took one drive to see the difference. The Falcons smoked the Giants 34-7 on Sunday behind a commanding performance from their rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

It was Penix’s first start after the team ejected on the Kirk Cousins experience, with the Falcons expected to release the veteran this offseason. On the sideline, Cousins stood with his helmet on, looking like a dejected figure. On the field, Penix threw lasers, showing the Falcons what they have been missing for almost two months: a legitimate starting quarterback.

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Moving on from a face-of-the-franchise quarterback too early hurts, but not nearly as badly as waiting too long.

And make no mistake: Cousins was signed to be the face of the Falcons and to lift Atlanta to the promised land. After years of wading around in quarterback purgatory, the Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180m contract last offseason with $90m guaranteed despite the quarterback recovering from an achilles injury. They invested heavily in free agency in the hopes they could microwave a contender in a lousy NFC South.

But the plan was a bust. Cousins never looked like the same player who lit it up in Minnesota – a fringe top-10 quarterback on his best day, even if he was capable of gagging away games. He never recovered from the achilles tear he sustained with the Vikings last season. As a result, the Falcons were forced to turn to an unorthodox system that did not ask Cousins to move or throw or, by the end, routinely even plant his feet.

The early-season returns were ugly. Cousins limped around games. He was hesitant in the pocket. He struggled to move away from pass-rushers. At times, his athleticism was so shot that he struggled to sprint to hand the ball off to running backs on basic stretch plays. The Falcons’ offense became stilted and arrhythmic, bouncing back and forth between one that suited the team’s young playmakers and one that Cousins could physically run.

There was a hope that Cousins’ achilles would strengthen throughout the season. Those early struggles were rust, we were told. But by the final midpoint of the year, the bottom fell out of Atlanta’s offense. Cousins could no longer plant and fire. The strength in his arm eroded. His decision-making, always erratic, began to be punished at a higher clip. He threw so many ducks that even late-stage Peyton Manning was starting to wince. In his final five games, Cousins finished with 14 turnovers to one touchdown.

Beyond the stat line were the visuals. Cousins looked like a shell of his former self. Strip off the nameplate, and the Falcons had a quarterback struggling to move or throw or operate an NFL offense. And the Falcons’ offense was sapped of any creativity, trying to scheme around a cement-footed quarterback who crumbled when pressure came calling. Cousins could no longer bob or weave in the pocket to avoid bone-crushing shots. For five weeks, Cousins struggled on. But by the end, watching him shuffle through games was just sad.

The Falcons told us what they thought of Cousins in his final game. Atlanta had 23 first-and-10s against the Raiders. They ran the ball on 22 of those downs, trying to hide Cousins as much as possible. On his sole pass attempt on first down, Cousins threw a barf-inducing interception.

That flipped on Sunday. With Penix under center, the Falcons were able to expand their offense. Everywhere you looked, they were rolling the pocket, challenging outside the numbers, hitting the intermediate level of the field and trusting Penix rookie to fizz the ball into tight windows. They attempted seven first-down passes in the first half on Sunday, before turning to the run to close out a blowout victory.

Penix rewarded his play-caller with a mature performance. He navigated muddy pockets like a veteran, extended plays when he could and manipulated defenders with his eyes, spraying the ball to all levels of the field.

All the usual caveats apply. Outside of a spiky pass-rush, the Giants stink. They are racing to the No 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. The Falcons defense scored two touchdowns, harassing Giants’ quarterback Drew Lock into field-flipping errors. Still, in his first start, Penix proved that Atlanta’s insurance plan – drafting Penix No 8 overall after signing Cousins to a mega-money deal – was a savvy ploy.

The box score will not leap off the screen. Penix finished the game completing 18-of-27 passes for 202 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. But sloppy drops cost Penix a gaudier stat line, and his interception came on a tipped throw to Kyle Pitts, with the tight end effectively launching the ball to a waiting Giants DB.

Given the circumstances, though, Penix’s debut was as strong as the Falcons could have hoped for. With the threat of a downfield passing game, Bijan Robinson had space to do damage underneath on the ground and through the air. Atlanta’s all-world back finished with 103 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns, aided by the threat of his new quarterback.

Coming out of college, Penix’s top two traits were avoiding negative plays and challenging defenses vertically down the field. He was the best deep-ball thrower in college, and one of the top sack-avoidance artists. In his first start, both translated to the pros: he finished with an average depth of target over nine yards, almost double what Cousins averaged in his final few weeks; and he was not sacked, quickly triggering the ball to an escape valve whenever the Giants’ pass-rush came careening home.

Loyalty is football rhetoric, but only rarely a fact. The Falcons stuck with Cousins either because of a hand-shake promise the vet would at least be given this season to start after the organization selected Penix, or because the financial ramifications were too difficult to stomach, or because Penix looked like a mess in practice. Based on Sunday, we can rule out the last option. Sticking with Cousins was about a preconceived plan, to wring the last drops out of an aging quarterback before handing the franchise to the young pup.

But the Falcons let the process drag out too long. By refusing to move to Penix earlier in the season, they may have robbed themselves of a playoff berth. Even the medium-term outlook will be tricky, with the Falcons set to pay a gnarly amount of money to Cousins to play for somewhere else next season – money they will not be able to use to surround Penix with talent.

The Falcons are still in the playoff mix. With two games left, they can still pip the Bucs to the division title. With Cousins, those hopes would either be over or fruitless. What’s the point of making the dance if you’re going to get boat-raced by the Lions or Eagles? With Penix, they still have a chance and can build toward the future – and they could prove to be a pesky underdog if they can squeeze into the playoffs. The only remaining question: what took so long?

MVP of the week

Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders. Daniels threw five touchdowns in the Commanders’ come-from-behind win over the Eagles. Washington turned the ball over five times against the league’s best defense. But Daniels led the team to 22 points in the fourth quarter, including a clutch final drive that saw the rookie hit a nine-yard touchdown strike to Jamison Crowder to give the Commies a lead with six seconds left.

The Eagles lost quarterback Jalen Hurts to a concussion on their second drive, but were in control for much of the game. The first half was dominated by Saquon Barkley and the Eagles’ offense, but that flipped in the second half. The Commanders loaded up to slow Philly’s running game and forced the Eagles to put the ball in the hands of backup quarterback Kenny Pickett. But with Pickett misfiring and some costly drops, it was over to the Eagles’ defense to shut the game down. Instead, they coughed up multiple chunk plays on defensive miscues, allowing Daniels to march Washington’s offense down the field.

Daniels became only the seventh rookie to throw five touchdowns in a game, throwing for 258 yards and tacking on 81 yards on nine carries. Daniels continues to prove he is more than a flashy rookie, but someone who can navigate his team through tight games, and a quarterback with the right antenna for when to stick to the pocket and bail out. He picked up a crucial 28-yard scramble on fourth-and-11 with the Commanders trailing by 13, teeing up the last-second win.

“I love those type of situations,” Daniels said after the game. “When it’s on thin ice and plays need to be made, that’s what you live for – if you really love this sport.”

The defeat means Philly failed to clinch the NFC East, and have fallen a game behind the Lions and Vikings in the race for the NFC’s No 1 seed.

Video of the week

Detroit’s offense is waxing people, and having fun along the way. For the eighth time this season, the Lions scored more than 30 points, blasting the Bears 34-17 on the road. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson put on another clinic in front of his (potential) future employers, rolling out his latest wacky creation for a touchdown.

That, as Scorsese would say, is cinema. Not content with eligible linemen and throwback passes and the traditional brand of NFL fakery, Johnson unleashed the fake fumble.

Every part of it is beautiful. There is the tuck and roll from running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Then there is Jared Goff pretending to stumble while the offense barks out in unison “ball, ball, ball,” simulating a fumble. It was enough to freeze a single Bears defender, safety Jonathan Owens, the player tasked with covering tight end Sam LaPorta. Laporta peeled away, leaking out of his position on the line and up the field. By the time Goff hit the top of his drop, LaPorta was cruising into the end zone to give Detroit a 20-point lead.

The play was called “Stumble Bum”, which should be enough to earn Johnson an Oscar nod for Best Director on its own. Goff said postgame that the call was inspired by a play Johnson saw of Jordan Love dropping a snap against the Bears and still engineering a big pass play.

In a season full of off-the-wall designs, this is Johnson’s best. And it matters. Plenty of the NFL is still beset by outdated thinking – or incompetence. Coaches, with careers and mortgages on the line, coach with fear. Not Johnson. The Lions can win with power, efficiency, explosiveness or creativity, a combination that still has them at the top of the NFC despite the injuries to the team’s defense.

Stat of the week

In three seasons with the Jets, Sam Darnold won 13 games. With a 27-24 win over the Seahawks on Sunday, Darnold took his win total to 13 with the Vikings in 15 games. That ties him with Peyton Manning (2012) and Steve McNair (2006) for the most wins by a quarterback in their first season with a new team.

Related: Sam Darnold’s career season means the Minnesota Vikings face a tough decision

With an injured finger and a rolled ankle, Darnold put together one of his best performances of the season, totaling 246 yards with three and no interceptions. Darnold out-dueled Geno Smith in the Battle of Former Jets Quarterbacks, icing the game with the throw of his career. With the Vikings trailing late, Darnold climbed through the pocket and hit Justin Jefferson between two safeties for a 39-yard score, all while being crushed by two defenders.

The win means the Vikings kept pace with the Lions at the top of the NFC. With the Eagles falling to the Commanders, the prospect of a pseudo playoff for the No 1 between the best of the NFC North is increasingly likely.

Elsewhere around the league

• The Colts scored 38 points with only 11 pass attempts in a 38-31 win over the Titans. That’s the fewest for a team scoring 38 or more since 2000. Jonathan Taylor eclipsed 200 rushing yards for the second time in his career, running over and around a hapless Tennessee defensive front. With Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, James Conner, Josh Jacobs and Jonathan Taylor all anchoring their offenses, maybe running backs matter after all.

• A raft of teams have been officially eliminated from the playoff race, including the Cardinals, 49ers and Cowboys. But the Bengals are still alive after a record-setting day from Joe Burrow. Burrow became the first quarterback in league history to post seven straight games with at least 250 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-6 win over the Browns. Cincy are hanging on by their nails in the AFC. But they’ve won three straight and can squeeze into the playoffs if they beat the Broncos and Steelers in their final two games.

• You can add Arizona to the list of eliminated teams, too. The Panthers 36-30 overtime win dumped the Cardinals from playoff consideration. Bryce Young put together the best performance of his career, hitting multiple big-time throws under pressure, creating with his legs and running over a defender. After the misery of his rookie season, Young is now playing with a smile, happily torching defenses down the field and scrambling on the ground. He posted a career-high 68 yards with his legs on Sunday, leading the Panthers to 36 points against a defense that had kept opponents to 17.9 points a game since Week 7.

• After the story this week about owner Woody Johnson’s interference in football operations, the Jets issued a rallying cry before their game against the Rams. The result: nine points scored on offense and another defeat. Meanwhile, in Seattle, Sam Darnold and Geno Smith, two former Jets quarterbacks, faced off in the heavyweight quarterback matchup of the season… just as everyone predicted.

• The Chiefs beat the Texans 27-19 on Saturday, recording their 16th consecutive one-score win. Whether it’s heart, skill or luck, the Chiefs’ run is objectively bonkers. The Jaguars have 16 one-score wins in the entire time since Patrick Mahomes debuted in 2017 – and five teams have not won 16 one-score games this decade. Worryingly for the rest of the league, KC’s performance against an outstanding Texans defense was the best their offense has looked all season.