Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. Validates Belief in ‘Almost Flawless’ First Start

ATLANTA — Michael Penix Jr.‘s pass over the middle was behind receiver Chris Blair, but that’s exactly where the Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback wanted it to be.

Blair was heading into a zone filled with New York Giants defenders, a big hit almost surely waiting for him if the ball had been thrown in front of him. Instead, Penix put his pass away from the defenders and in a spot where Blair had to decelerate before contact.

It wasn’t a misthrow. It was, in Blair’s words, perfection.

“A great, smart play from him,” Blair said postgame. “That’s vet savvy right there, especially with him being a rookie.”

Penix’s final stat line — 18 for 27 for 202 yards, no touchdowns and an interception that bounced out of tight end Kyle Pitts‘ hands and into the arms of Giants cornerback Cor’Dale Flott — may not spell perfection in his first NFL start, a 34-7 win over New York on Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

But Falcons head coach Raheem Morris felt his 24-year-old signal caller delivered an “almost flawless” performance, avoiding fatal mistakes and operating a high level to help Atlanta get its largest win in over four years.

“The plan came a little bit sooner, but the kid was ready,” Morris said postgame. “We had a lot of time to develop him. The kid did a great job himself [of] developing himself and getting ready for that moment where it wasn’t too big.

“I was really proud and I was pleased with the effort he was able to go out there and play with.”

The aforementioned plan Morris noted is in reference to Penix’s development. He wasn’t expected to start this year, and in an ideal scenario, not next year, either.

But after veteran starting quarterback Kirk Cousins threw one touchdown and nine interceptions in the previous five games, Atlanta couldn’t wait any longer.

So, in stepped Penix, the soft-speaking, low-pulse-having first-round draft pick from the University of Washington. The Tampa, Fla., native guided the Falcons into Giants territory on six of their first seven drives before clock management took over, and he made several timely throws — he went 7-for-10 passing for 91 yards and an interception on third down.

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who had two rushing scores, said postgame Penix delivered when called upon. Perhaps nothing represents Penix better than that.

“Very calm, controlled, composed,” left guard Matthew Bergeron said postgame. “We had our ups and downs, but we put our head down and kept pushing.”

A balanced performance followed on both sides of the ball.

The Falcons’ defense scored two touchdowns on pick-sixes from safety Jessie Bates III and outside linebacker Matthew Judon, and the Giants’ offensive ineptitude — 234 net yards and three conversions on third and fourth down combined — meant Atlanta faced little game pressure in the second half.

Offensively, Atlanta collected 22 first downs — 10 passing, 11 rushing and one via penalty — and tallied 329 net yards. Robinson ran for 94 yards on 22 attempts, while fellow ballcarrier Tyler Allgeier rushed for 22 yards. The Falcons finished with 127 total yards on the ground.

Morris said the Falcons rallied behind Penix — their defensive efforts were reflected on the scoreboard, and their rushing attack made life easier.

“When people want to stop the run, it opens the pass games,” Allgeier said postgame. “So, obviously that’s kind of the goal — being able to open up the pass game, and just him being more comfortable having a loose box.”

It all gave Penix the chance to be himself in his first start at the sport’s highest level. He’s a gamer, Blair said, who plays as he practices — which is precisely what Morris expected.

Sunday morning, Morris spoke with Atlanta’s ownership, telling them how well Penix practiced, some of the things he did and what looked good for the Falcons. Atlanta still had plenty of pieces to blend together, from game management to schematic changes with Penix under center.

But ultimately, Morris and the Falcons’ staff felt they had a good idea of what Penix would be when thrust into the lineup. His performance in “Mamba” periods — competitive starters-versus-starters reps in practice — and his development behind Cousins created optimism and reassured everything Atlanta saw on tape during the pre-draft process.

Penix still had to prove himself on the field. The Falcons believe he did that Sunday.

“Just to watch him go do it, it was more fun to watch than actual relief,” Morris said. “It wasn’t relief. For me, it was more of just a sense of pride.”

If anything, Penix surprised the Falcons in a positive light. His subtle athletic movements have stood out to Morris and staff since rookie minicamp in May, which Atlanta didn’t expect. It did, however, expect maturity — and Penix delivered.

Morris didn’t immediately have a favorite Penix play in the immediate aftermath of the game but still chose one to single out.

On second-and-8 with just under four minutes to go in the first half, Penix spun and stayed on his feet through contact from Giants linebacker Darius Muasau before throwing the ball away. He saved Atlanta around six-to-seven yards, setting up third-and-8 instead of third-and-14 or longer.

The Falcons dialed up a deep shot, and receiver Darnell Mooney drew a pass interference penalty, resulting in a 30-yard gain. Perhaps Atlanta plays more conservatively if it’s backed up on third-and-long, or maybe the Giants play a different coverage scheme that takes away the window for a vertical attempt.

Football isn’t played in hypotheticals, but that play — which was part of a drive that ended in a Robinson touchdown and gave the Falcons a double-digit lead they never relinquished — may have been a crucial turning point in a 27-point win.

And perhaps most importantly, underlined the maturation Morris has long sensed from Penix.

“Those are grown men, professional-type plays that you love to see from your young quarterback,” Morris said.

Penix’s development has been evident from rookie minicamp through Sunday.

Morris pointed to his chemistry with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, the ability to recite plays and understanding the “whys” of certain plays. Allgeier said he’s seen growth in leadership. Blair reiterated Morris and noted Penix is more comfortable with the playbook.

The latter is something Falcons right guard Chris Lindstrom cited afterwards as an underrated aspect of Penix’s week.

“Just really, really proud of him,” Lindstrom said. “It’s hard to describe the amount of stuff that’s put on a quarterback’s plate, and to be a rookie, to come in and do that, he absolutely handled the situation perfectly and really did a great job communicating with us.”

Atlanta had little doubt about Penix’s physical tools. Mooney, who caught five passes for a team-high 82 yards, said he realized early this summer Penix had everything needed to play quarterback at a high level.

“He could throw it — just from watching the second team go, he would put some zip on the ball and I’m like, ‘Oh, he’s got arm on him,'” Mooney said. “But, the game is how you manage the game, especially in the critical situations, and it’s how you dial those things up. And I think he did well with that as well.”

Mooney added Penix knew where he wanted to throw the ball, took care of it and played smooth. Without benefit of having watched the film, Mooney thought Penix played well, as did Bergeron.

The Falcons still feel they have areas to grow.

Penix cited processing and decisions he made on certain reads. Bergeron singled out penalties, as the Falcons were flagged twice for holding — one by Bergeron, the other by center Drew Dalman — and an unnecessary roughness penalty on receiver Drake London after Penix’s interception.

The positive within this is Atlanta gets to correct its flaws after a win, and after Penix validated considerable optimism. Another positive, from a bigger picture perspective, is the Falcons think Penix will only get better from Sunday.

Bergeron, a second-round pick in 2023, started every game as a rookie. He improved each week, he said, and is still improving now. He thinks Penix will follow the same track and be a good NFL quarterback.

“I remember what it was like starting as a rookie — it’s not easy,” Bergeron said. “Obviously, he’s going to get better. We got to do a better job as an O-line to protect him and just to make it easy for him. But he’s been great, you can already see the traits that he has.

“I think he’s going to be a good leader for this team. I believe in him. It should be good — we should be able to do a good push the last two games of the season.”

There’s an age-old adage of players being wise beyond their years. Penix was one of the older players in his draft class, and there’s a natural expectation for him to be ahead of the proverbial rookie learning curve as a result.

He just might be.

“I enjoy the fact of him coming off the field, being able to verbalize things when he went wrong and being able to communicate those things to us very clearly,” Morris said. “That’s a sign of an adult. That’s a sign it’s a different form of maturity for us. Those are things for me that I really covet.”

Penix has played in big games before — he was in the College Football Playoff National Championship less than a year ago — but he admitted he was a bit nervous running out of the tunnel.

However, once he hit the field, all nerves went away. His passes were crisp. His reads, for the most part, were correct. He didn’t put the ball in danger.

And after a week of being at the center of the NFL spotlight, Penix did nothing but accentuate the buzz that’s surrounded him since he first stepped foot in Atlanta eight months ago.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the young man,” Morris said.