Atlanta Falcons See Future in Michael Penix Jr Despite Week 1 Loss to Buccaneers

“It was great to see him dive like that,” tight end Kyle Pitts Sr said. “Made him look a little taller than he is when he's stretching like that, but it was great to see him just put his body on line for his teammates.” 

After the defense faltered and gave up a Tampa touchdown just 1:18 later, his back was again against the wall. He responded with an eight-play, 60-yard drive that began on his own 14-yard line and 57 seconds on the clock. He got the offense to the Tampa 26-yard line, but Koo missed what would have been the game-tying 44-yard field goal, almost washing away the late-game heroics of the Falcons’ quarterback. 

Even though they came up short in the end, Penix gave the Falcons their best shot to win this game and showed he has what it takes to be successful in this league. 

“I told him after the game, he’s going to be a problem in this league for a long time,” Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield said about Penix. “I think he’s a great player. He’s decisive, goes through his reads, [and] trusts his guys. He’s young, but he’s got it.”

Penix was poised under pressure and made the big-time plays in big-time moments today, but this is no different from what we saw from him last season. He had an identical type of moment against the Washington Commanders in Week 17. 

Mind you, this was his first career road start coming on Sunday Night Football in a must-win spot and their playoff future hanging in the balance. With 4:32 left in the game, down seven, Michael Penix completed five passes for 77 yards as part of a 12-play drive that culminated with a sharp fourth-down touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts Sr. 

Then again in Week 18, we saw that magic strike again. The Falcons were in a shootout with the Carolina Panthers with their playoff future still in the balance. Down seven, Penix got the ball with 4:01 left in the game. As he did the week before, he orchestrates an 11-play, 70-yard drive to tie the game with 46 seconds left in the game. 

This is just what he does. It’s in his DNA to take the biggest moments of a game and make them mundane. 

“I've been playing since I was five years old, and I made a lot of plays throughout my years,” Penix said after the game. “I have to do whatever I can to help my team win a football game. 

Despite picking up another loss, Penix never wavered against the Buccanners, just like he didn’t against the Commanders or Panthers last season. 

Through four career starts, there is plenty of reason to believe that the Falcons have their guy at quarterback. They already knew it at Flowery Branch, but Sunday is just more proof to everyone else that this is the future of this franchise. 

“That’s what he’s shown since he’s been here,” head coach Raheem Morris said. “He’s been excellent. He’s been poised in great moments, he’s been poised in big moments like that just then. I can’t say enough about that young man and what he’s been able to do.” 

For a franchise that has spent seven years searching for a turning point, Sunday felt achingly familiar. Fans saw the flashes of brilliance, moments of resilience, and, ultimately, another close-but-not-enough ending. 

Now, the Falcons will shift their focus to another difficult test against the Minnesota Vikings next week in a Sunday Night Football showdown in Minneapolis. They enter this matchup with an 0-1 record, but a little bit more proof that their second-year quarterback is the long-awaited answer they have been searching for.