It took only a handful of throws for us to realize two undeniable truths about the Atlanta Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr. era.
The first: Moving to Penix doesn’t feel ridiculous when considering his readiness. He was poised in his first NFL start, compiling a library of throws that doesn’t come close to being reflected in a mediocre stat line (18-of-27, 202 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT).
The second: Unless the Falcons change who they are around Penix, the team is going to continue having issues realizing its potential.
We alluded to this in a column written after Kirk Cousins was first benched. Cousins was the gravel under the bus tire of an operation that, a few years ago, began stockpiling exciting young offensive players via the draft and finger pointing one coach and quarterback after the next when the team did not resemble the Year 1 Mike McDaniel Miami Dolphins (even though, oddly enough, the Falcons were right behind Miami that year in explosive plays). What we imagine a combination of Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson to be will never match the on-field reality. That is the narrative curse of GM Terry Fontenot's aggressive, headline-grabbing drafts.
At the very least, if Penix plays the way he did in a 34–7 win against the New York Giants on Sunday—a curious hypothetical, given that almost no NFL team is as bad as the Giants—he can make more sense of an offense that can more consistently hold serve as the defense comes around.
