Following the Broncos’ playoff-clinching win over the Chiefs in Week 18 last season, it meant only three teams hadn’t made the playoffs since 2020. No team wants to find themselves on a list with the Panthers and Jets, considering the state of both franchises over recent years, yet the Falcons find themselves on it. It has been the worst playoff drought in franchise history since the demoralizing narrow defeat against the Eagles in 2018.
A total mismanagement of a declining roster between Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn in 2019 and 2020 led to a complete revamp in 2021. Two years of slow progression led to a season with credible expectations in 2023. That came crashing down in a division there for the taking, leading to Arthur Smith’s dismissal. As exciting as the beginning of last season was under Raheem Morris, another late-season collapse resulted in another wasted opportunity to make the playoffs.
You can draft all the exciting, top-tier offensive prospects. You can sign a big-name veteran quarterback with gaudy statistics. You can play in primetime against the two teams that made the Super Bowl. All of these high-profile moves and moments generate short-term enthusiasm, but everything feels largely empty in the long haul when there is no playoff berth to show for it.
Unlike in the past several seasons, there is genuine optimism at the quarterback position. It won’t be an aging franchise legend (Matt Ryan), diminished veteran (Kirk Cousins), journeyman (Marcus Mariota), or someone who isn’t an NFL-caliber player (Desmond Ridder) as the opening day starter. An ultra-talented, prolific quarterback with all the poise in the world is taking over the reins in Atlanta. It’s been an odd journey for Michael Penix Jr. to get to this point. He is no stranger to adversity. He is built to be the quarterback to revive a fallen franchise.
Remaining Composed While Facing Complications
It’s hard to imagine recovering from two injured ACLs unless your name is Thomas Davis, who had an illustrious career
despite tearing it three times. Suffering that kind of brutalizing injury twice in three years would leave any player doubting their future. What it ultimately did was build resilience for Penix Jr. to ascend into an All-American quarterback. Those setbacks at Indiana didn’t derail him on his road to glory at Washington. Two consecutive seasons with more than 30 passing touchdowns led to him being a first-round caliber player.
The idea of him being selected in the top ten, particularly by a team built to win now that spent considerable money on a battle-tested quarterback, seemed unfathomable. That changed after
a private workout in Seattle three weeks before the draft. That sold Terry Fontenot on making another jaw-dropping splash with a top ten pick.
For all the defensive holes that needed addressing, the organization wanted to secure the future at the most important position of them all following multiple seasons of disastrous play. Drafting a 23-year-old quarterback who might not become the starter until he turns 26 didn’t seem to bother the team a bit. Penix Jr.’s overall talent and character made the front office and coaching staff believe in him, even if it meant waiting multiple seasons to see if he can truly become the long-term franchise quarterback they need.
The thought process behind the decision was viewed as nonsensical and bizarre by many analysts. How can a team break the bank on a quarterback in free agency and then use a top ten pick on someone with multiple torn ACLs who turns 24 years old in May? Will the concerns about his throwing motion, lack of touch on passes, and tendencies to get jittery under pressure prove to be too much to overcome? It will take a few years before those questions are answered. What Penix Jr. prioritized in his first year was shutting out the noise and learning from a consummate professional like Cousins and building a strong rapport with teammates.
KhaDarel Hodge was one of the players
who stepped up and worked extensively with Penix Jr. The special-teams ace and growing fan favorite took the time to help him get comfortable. Spending time after practice showed not only a desire from Penix Jr. to improve as a player, but also to take the initiative as a dedicated professional. He was doing everything possible to be ready for his moment, regardless of whether it was in 2024 or 2026. That moment came sooner than anticipated as Cousins was incapable of running the offense following a dismal 1-4 stretch where that side of the ball floundered. Attempting to save a once-promising season was going to be difficult for Penix Jr., but he would do everything in his power to leave a strong first impression.
Set It Off
Once
the 2023 Maxwell Award winner got on the field, there was a sense of calmness with him under center. Some of it can be attributed to the offense being completely discombobulated when Cousins drastically dropped off for over a month. A major portion goes to how composed Penix Jr. was in his processing by being decisive with his reads and wisely going through his progressions when necessary. Zac Robinson was always going to build a safe game plan around him for his debut, particularly against an inferior opponent in the Giants.
There were still glimpses where Penix Jr.’s intelligence and ball placement shone. Operating out of the pistol formation, which is something the Falcons will use plenty of this season, he connected with Chris Blair on an over route.
It initially looked like an inaccurate throw as Blair shifted his body to catch the pass behind him. That completion proved to be a shrewd throw by placing the ball where none of the defensive backs could make a play on it, while protecting the young wide receiver in the process across the middle of the field. A pass like that builds confidence in being able to throw with anticipation and proper placement to give his receiving options the best opportunity to be productive.
To have your second career start on Sunday night in a must-win game to stay in first place with two weeks left in the season is something nobody could have envisioned. Going on the road against the NFL’s feel-good story of the season, with the Commanders being led by the electrifying Jayden Daniels, is a whole other challenge. It was no surprise that Penix Jr. would have several throws he wished he could get back. Although he didn’t put the ball in harm’s way often, the misses were glaring as passes were being skied over the intended target. Many of those incompletions were directed to the right on intermediate to deep passes. The poor throws didn’t rattle his confidence. When a touchdown was needed late in the fourth quarter to tie the game, he delivered a 12-play, 68-yard scoring drive.
His growing rapport with Drake London played a pivotal role in that emphatic drive. All three completions to the star wide receiver went for 13 yards or more, including a game-saving fourth-down conversion where Penix Jr. connected with him on a 31-yard pass. Even when a disastrous botched direct snap to Bijan Robinson resulted in a 21-yard loss, the resilient gunslinger stood tall in overcoming what appeared to be a fatal setback. Hitting Kyle Pitts in stride on fourth and goal at the 13-yard line for
his first career touchdown exemplified why the organization went all in on drafting him. It was a gutsy, decisive throw that couldn’t have been placed better.
Identifying throwing windows in the middle of the field against zones and targeting mismatches on the outside when seeing man coverage allowed Penix Jr. to keep the Falcons in the game. After finding London repeatedly on the outside to get into scoring range, he knew Pitts across the middle would be his best option in a make-or-break situation. Needing 13 yards to score a touchdown with the game on the line, as seven or eight defensive players protect the end zone, leaves the quarterback with no margin for error. A pinpoint throw is needed to have a chance to score, which is exactly what Penix Jr. did in connecting with Pitts down the seam in between multiple defensive backs.
Unfortunately, his first memorable moment didn’t lead them to a crucial win in Washington. The Commanders continued to do what they did all of last season in pulling off dramatic, narrow victories. It remains a valuable learning experience for the fearless young quarterback, who flourished in the fourth quarter after being erratic for stretches in the game, in a hostile environment under playoff-like circumstances.
I spoke to London in the locker room following the defeat. He was proud of Penix Jr’s focus when the pressure of the game intensified. As dejected as players were following a devastating defeat, their new quarterback’s tenacity left a lasting impact on them.
The chemistry between London and him took off in the season finale against the Panthers. A whopping 18 pass attempts on 40 drop-backs went the former top ten pick’s way. That resulted in ten receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns. After just missing on a back-shoulder throw before halftime, Penix Jr. went immediately back to London on the next play.
He connected with him on a 21-yard touchdown as Shemar Bartholomew was overmatched at the catch point. Although he only completed 16 of 31 passes to his left last season, most of his impressive plays came from throwing to that area.
Pro Football Focus credited six of his ten big-time throws toward the deep left. It’s something he will look to carry over into this season, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding the right tackle position. The precariousness of that situation won’t derail Penix Jr’s unwavering determination to evolve as a player.
Practice Execution Becomes Game Reality
One of Bill Belichick’s greatest quotes emphasizes how perfecting your craft in practice will translate into successful on-field performances. It sounds fairly simplistic, yet it holds significant weight based on who said it and how skill development comes down to the desire to grow and be coachable. Taking constructive criticism is part of life. Overcoming setbacks is part of the journey. Penix Jr. has experienced his share of it, from injuries to doubts about his deficiencies. That has pushed him toward the cusp of something special. With the right people around him, he can blossom into the next franchise quarterback in Atlanta.
The coaching staff has worked relentlessly to help enhance Penix Jr.’s ability to outmaneuver defenses mentally. The Athletic’s Robert Mays
spoke about how he is far more advanced in seeing the field than the standard second-year quarterback during his time there at training camp. Moving defenders with his eyes to sway them out of position to connect with his open target is a valuable attribute he is starting to grasp. It’s one of the main reasons behind
the growing Matthew Stafford comparisons, which indicates how surgical Penix Jr. can become as a passer.
To add fuel to the Stafford comparisons, Zac Robinson worked with the cerebral quarterback from 2020 to 2023 during his tenure with the Rams. That experience can be hugely beneficial in putting Penix Jr. in a greater position to gain more confidence in maximizing his tremendous arm talent. It didn’t take long for Penix Jr. to take a three-level passing concept and turn it into a highlight-reel completion. The Ringer’s Diante Lee
highlighted a 42-yard completion to Ray-Ray McCloud against Carolina in his excellent piece about the promising quarterback. Instead of attempting to connect with Hodge on a curl route or checking it down to Pitts, he threw a stellar deep ball to the versatile playmaking receiver in stride with terrific anticipation.
All quarterbacks have to develop into their own players. Still, it’s encouraging to be compared with a player so admired across the league in Stafford, and work with an offensive coordinator who spent years learning from an offensive mastermind in McVay. The processing of coverages, fearlessness in pushing the ball downfield, and the impressive velocity of throws across the field are tremendous traits that can put any quarterback in a position to flourish. How they manage muddled pockets, adjusting to playing out of structure, is one of the biggest challenges in acclimating to the pros. That is something Penix Jr. will have to prove, as he was rarely tested in that area in his three starts against below-average defenses.
Penix Jr. progressed as a passer and leader in training camp are two things he did in preparation for the season.
In a joint practice against the Titans, he completed 13 of 16 passes that included a pinpoint beauty to Casey Washington on a deep post route. There was also another deep ball touchdown to McCloud, which sparked a kerfuffle between both teams.
Penix Jr. didn’t shy away from the chaos. Neither did any of his teammates, who were in the heat of the battle. That unity goes a long way in building bonds, knowing that everyone has each other’s backs and nobody will tolerate any cheap shot on the starting quarterback.
Primetime Challenges Ahead
As the season approaches, practice will be even more vital following Kaleb McGary’s devastating season-ending injury. The Falcons made sure
to add as many players as possible to replace him and swing tackle Storm Norton. Whoever earns the starting job will need protection plans set up to ensure Penix Jr.’s blind side is protected. From frequent chip blocks to increased play-action usage and snaps out of the pistol formation, the coaching staff must find ways to adapt to the first significant injury loss for the season. That’s how playoff teams operate, no matter the circumstances.
Facing two of the league’s most aggressive defensive play-callers in Todd Bowles and Brian Flores to start the season will test Penix Jr.’s composure against intense pressure and varied looks. Primetime matchups against the 49ers and Bills in October will likely put him in positions where the offense must score 30 points to have a chance to win. A rematch against the Commanders will be one to watch following the dramatic back-and-forth battle last December.
As daunting as these matchups look on paper, a team with major aspirations led by a quarterback with endless potential will embrace every aspect of these challenges to prove they are ready to beat the best. In many instances last season, the Falcons showed they can compete with the best. It’s time to turn competing into winning, led by a quarterback who possesses all the intangibles to thrive in intense situations. The days of working around obstacles and being positionally limited are over in Atlanta. Penix Jr. is putting the franchise on the road toward bringing playoff football back to a city in dire need of it.
