Bengals' Joe Burrow, Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. recognized for Week 7 performances

Two quarterbacks at different stages of their careers delivered statement performances in Week 7, and the NFL took notice.

Quarterbacks claim Offensive Player of the Week awards

The league announced Wednesday that Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, while Michael Penix Jr. of the Atlanta Falcons earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. 

Burrow continued his stellar season by leading the Bengals to a 35-13 road victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The former LSU star completed 22 of 30 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns while posting a 143.3 passer rating. Perhaps most impressively, all four touchdown passes came in the second half as Cincinnati erased an early deficit.

He led all quarterbacks in Week 7 in touchdown passes and passer rating, according to the Bengals' communications team. He registered a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the second half, connecting on 16 of 18 attempts for 249 yards and each of his four scoring passes as Cincinnati put up 35 unanswered points.

The award marks the ninth AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor of Burrow's career. It is also Burrow's first weekly honor of the 2026 season. 

While Burrow added another accolade to an already decorated résumé, Penix collected the first conference Player of the Week award of his NFL career.

The Atlanta signal-caller helped engineer one of Week 7's biggest upsets, guiding the Falcons to a 29-20 victory over the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers. Penix completed 25 of 34 passes for 213 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 118.9 passer rating. 

According to the Atlanta Falcons' official game notes, Penix became only the third quarterback in the last 25 seasons to throw at least three touchdown passes with zero interceptions in a victory over an opponent that was 6-0 or better.

The performance further strengthened Penix's growing reputation as one of the league's ascending young quarterbacks. His precision and poise were on full display against one of the NFC's top teams, as Atlanta handed San Francisco its first loss of the season. 

"Whenever I look at awards, obviously me as a quarterback, any position you can't do that by yourself," Penix said when he talked to the media on Wednesday. "It shows the guys I have around me, the guys we have in this building; I couldn't do that without the offensive line; I couldn't do that without the skill players making plays for me... I'm thankful for it." 

The recognition also reflects the strong quarterback play that defined Week 7 across both conferences. Burrow showcased why he remains one of the NFL's elite passers with a dominant second-half performance, while Penix demonstrated that the Falcons may have found their franchise quarterback for years to come. 

As the season enters its second half, both quarterbacks have their teams trending upward, and Week 7 served as another reminder of the impact high-level quarterback play can have on a team's postseason aspirations.