The Atlanta Falcons have had some ups and downs this season, mostly led by young quarterback Michael Penix Jr. behind the middle. With him, they’ve had rare wins that no one saw coming, and inexplicable losses, but has he yet had a breakout game in the NFL?
When Penix Jr. is at his best, he can do for the Falcons what he did against the Packers, Saints and 49ers. He can get the ball to the best players, put it in the end zone, and keep it away from the other team. When he plays to this ability, it leads to high scoring totals, multiple passing touchdowns, and time-of-possession dominance for the Falcons.
Against Green Bay, Penix Jr. took a moment. to get his silence. In his first game back, he threw an interception on the first drive, which got off to a rough start, but he settled in quickly afterward. Leaning on superstar running back Bijan Robinson and the rushing attack, Penix Jr. completed. was 18 of 25 passing for 256 yards and threw a touchdown pass. On the back of that performance, the Falcons defeated the Packers 35-14, shocking the NFL for the first time this season.
In his return from his ACL injury, he proved that his presence brought stability to the Falcons’ offense and that he could lead them to victory without negative factors. All positive, but it doesn’t quite make for a breakout NFL performance.
Penix Jr. followed that. next week in a Monday night showdown against division rivals, the New Orleans Saints. In New Orleans, he continued to be a positive factor for the Falcons without necessarily being a deciding factor.
Leaning on Robinson and his 145-yard rushing attack, Penix Jr. completed. 15 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown to help the Falcons win 45-24 in primetime. Again, a good game, but not a great career-defining game for the young quarterback.
Against the 49ers, he had what some consider his best performance of his career. He threw 25 passes for 213 while scoring three touchdown passes–one to wide receiver Drake London’s first of the season–without throwing an interception. That performance not only led to a convincing win by the Falcons, who shocked the league for the second time but also earned Penix Jr. the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award.
Everyone looked for the young quarterback, but the local media wasn’t sure that Penix Jr. really had a breakout game in his career. If one had to pick a game, the 29-20 win over the 49ers is probably the best on his resume so far.
However, the number of games played by Penix Jr. over the past three years has only amounted to one season’s worth. It is fair to assume that he has greater heights to climb. For a quarterback with a rocket arm and the audacity to believe he could make any throw, it’s hard to believe 213 yards a game is his ceiling.
After a disastrous four-interception performance by Penix Jr. against the Buccaneers, he will have a chance to make changes and show what he can really do against the Cincinnati Bengals in Spain on Sunday morning.