Do the Atlanta Falcons have the right quarterback?

Following another soul-crushing defeat, the Falcons now sit at 3-6 on the season, and some very familiar questions are going to be asked down the stretch.

Much of the conversation will revolve around Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris. Their seats, at the very least, have to be simmering — if not scorching hot. It’s entirely possible the Falcons undergo a total regime change at season’s end, which has practically become an annual tradition at this point. But coaching wasn’t the main culprit in Sunday’s loss.

That blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Michael Penix Jr., whose wild inconsistency was on full display in Berlin. As has been the case all season, there were flashes — like his perfectly placed 16-yard touchdown strike to Drake London under pressure — but the afternoon was largely defined by missed throws that killed drives and momentum, reflected in his 12-for-28 stat line.

On the season, Penix is completing just 58.8% of his passes, ranking 31st in the league, with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. The low interception total is misleading. Anyone watching closely can see how many turnover-worthy throws he’s gotten away with — the defense just seems to struggle catching his passes as much as his receivers do.

To put it simply, Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t looked like a franchise quarterback through his first 11 starts. That’s not to say he should be given up on, there are clear factors working against him. His offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson, has been widely criticized for his vanilla play-calling and lack of adjustments, while Penix has also been operating behind a patchwork offensive line featuring a third-string right tackle. And, as history shows, nearly every young quarterback goes through serious growing pains.

Drake Maye is the talk of the league this year, an MVP candidate leading the Patriots to the best record in football. But not long ago, he was struggling through a 13-game rookie campaign with just 2,276 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

It takes time — and sometimes a new coaching staff — for young quarterbacks to reach their full potential. But let’s not sugarcoat it: what we’ve seen from Penix so far hasn’t been encouraging. And while a fresh, innovative offensive staff could revitalize his career, it could also accelerate his downfall.

Coaching changes always bring adjustments, and a new regime won’t have the same attachment to Penix as Raheem Morris and Zac Robinson — the guys drafted him eighth overall. The leash will be shorter, and the margin for error thinner, increasing the risk of a messy situation that has derailed many young quarterbacks before him.

For all intents and purposes, the Falcons’ season is over. There’s no climbing out of this hole into a playoff spot. The only thing that matters now is Michael Penix Jr.’s development, and figuring out whether the team needs to start the search for its next quarterback as soon as this offseason.

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 Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon