New York Giants vs. Atlanta Falcons Prediction and Preview in Michael Penix Jr. Debut

For the first time since the team started 6-3, a palpable buzz of excitement exists around the Atlanta Falcons.  Earlier this week, the team announced that they would bench starting quarterback Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie signal caller Michael Penix Jr. 

At 7-7, the team sits one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but holds the tie breaker if they ended up with identical records after sweeping the series with their division rival.

The New York Giants come to Georgia looking for any a ray of sunshine, but expect the roof to be closed on Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Big Stage

Thrown into the fire with sky-high expectations, Michael Penix Jr. holds playoff aspirations for his team. Kirk Cousins, barring injury, will not play another game for the birds. Under those circumstances, everything falls directly into Penix’s hands.

Fortunately for Penix, the Falcons’ $90-million quarterback has set an incredibly low bar during Atlanta’s 1-4 skid.

Taking Chances

Penix suffered an injury-plagued four years at Indiana before starring with the Washington Huskies. Arm talent was never a question when the Falcons took him with the No. 8 overall pick in April.

He throws a fantastic ball with touch, velocity and accuracy. Also, he does not possess the risk-averse approach to the quarterback position as his predecessor. For all of his accuracy, Kirk Cousins did not seem to enjoy challenging defenses vertically. 

Zac Robinson will call the first plays of Michael Penix’s career. Akin to taking a sports car out on a straightaway, the best answer is the most obvious – Giants starting cornerback Deonte Banks surrenders a 74% completion rate and has given up six touchdowns on a 137.3 passer rating this season. 

Prediction

Regardless if the Giants start Drew Lock, Master Lock, or the Loch Ness Monster, New York will struggle offensively. The Falcons, despite all of their struggles in the pass game will, for the second consecutive game, clamp down the offense of a two-win on its third quarterback of the season.

While many games line up as a close on paper, but the Giants compete  like the season already ended and just want to run out the metaphorical ground ball.

After some early jitters and overthrows, Penix settles in and finds a groove. It will help having arguably the best running back tandem in the NFL to lean on. Bijan Robinson has been on a heater, and he’ll eclipse 100 yards from scrimmage and score a touchdown against the Giants.

New York could lean on their pass rush early in the season, but injuries have depleted that threat. Atlanta must still keep an eye on old friend Brian Burns though. He had 4.5 sacks against the Falcons in 10 games with the Panthers.

Expect at least 275 yards and two touchdowns passing from Michael Penix as he settles in and finds a groove. Meanwhile, while Malik Nabors catches seven passes, breaking the thousand-yard mark for the season. But Atlanta suddenly-lively pass rush makes life miserable for the Giants. 

Final Score:
Falcons: 33
Giants: 19