Michael Penix Jr. Needs to Silence Any Doubters Early in the Season

Here’s a hypothetical to ponder. Imagine that on the morning of September 15th, the Falcons wake up to find themselves at 0-2 after defeats against Tampa Bay and Minnesota. Will the organization continue to show unwavering support for Michael Penix Jr.?

Could a slow start, combined with Kirk Cousins' hefty contract, spark a quarterback controversy? While this situation may not reach the level of the debate between Joe Montana and Steve Young from years past, the pressure to make the playoffs could be intense even by mid-September.

Think about this: alongside Cousins and Penix, the Falcons have been cycling through the quarterback position. Following Matt Ryan’s retirement, we’ve seen five different players take the helm, including Marcus Mariota, Taylor Heinicke, and of course, Desmond Ridder. Ridder had limited opportunities with 4 starts and no interceptions in 2022, which led to the dreaded vote of confidence and a jump to 13 starts the next season. In those 13 games, the outcomes were mixed, largely due to the 12 interceptions that often felt like unwelcome guests.

Have the Falcons rushed to crown yet another new “face” of the franchise? Despite all the recent accolades, Michael has officially completed just 61 passes in the NFL.And here’s another point. No quarterback selected 8th overall has ever started and won a Super Bowl. A few have been close, but they won titles a few picks later. Ben Roethlisberger was drafted 11th in 2004, and Patrick Mahomes was taken 10th in 2017.

Penix Jr. will be the talk of the camp report for weeks, but I’m personally excited to see which of the sought-after rookies on the defensive side will eventually make it into the starting lineup.

The organization is confident that he is the future. The lingering question is whether he’ll secure enough wins right from the start.

Fans are growing increasingly impatient and for good reason. After all, you’d have to go back to January 2018 to find the last playoff win. Michael Penix Jr. was still in high school at Tampa Bay Tech.