After their Week 6 Monday Night Football win over the Buffalo Bills, the Atlanta Falcons had everyone buzzing. But the hype train quickly fell off the tracks just a week later in another primetime game on Sunday Night Football, losing to the San Francisco 49ers 20-10 on the road.
The Falcons had the opportunity to build off the momentum from the win over Buffalo. Instead, they laid another egg, falling back to .500 (3-3) against a very beat-up 49ers team.
Scoring their second-lowest point total of the season, most of the blame for the loss is being directed toward the offense, which has been inconsistent all season. Michael Penix Jr. specifically drew criticism for his performance.
While Penix was only sacked twice, he constantly faced pressure. According to NFL Next Gen Stats (h/t Tori McElhaney), on nine pass attempts under pressure, Penix failed to complete a single one. The former first-round pick was pressured 11 times on 42 dropbacks (26.2%). He finished 21 of 39 for 241 yards and one touchdown and a fumble.
All that pressure Penix faced could potentially linger in more ways than one.
Michael Penix Jr. Appeared to Suffer Lower-Body Injury Against 49ers
Late in the game, already down by 10, Penix was hoping to lead the Falcons on a miracle comeback, but the 49ers continued to dial up the pressure. On one of Atlanta’s final offensive plays, Penix went down awkwardly and appeared to limp when he got up. He was later shown entering the medical tent on the sideline.
After the game, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris told reporters he wasn’t yet sure how serious the injury might be.
“Obviously, we’ve got to let him go get evaluated,” Morris said in his postgame press conference. “He gave me the thumbs up on the sideline when we were asking him, so he was OK to finish. We’ll see where he is tomorrow.”
Needless to say, the Falcons still can’t seem to escape the conversation about whether Kirk Cousins might eventually reclaim the starting job from Penix.
Michael Penix Jr. Still Figuring Things Out Through Early Career
Penix had a lengthy college career, which has benefited many incoming quarterbacks in recent years. Still, it’s easy to forget that Penix is relatively inexperienced at the NFL level. Sunday’s game against the 49ers marked just his ninth career start.
That was never more evident than when the Falcons were inside San Francisco’s 25-yard line with 10 seconds left in the first half. Facing pressure, Penix was called for intentional grounding, resulting in a 10-second runoff that ended the half. Atlanta had just used its final timeout, preventing any chance to stop the clock.
“I expected that there would be a few reminders that Michael Penix Jr. is still very comparable to a rookie QB in terms of NFL starting experience,” Falcons writer Will McFadden wrote. “That intentional grounding was a reminder, and something he should learn from. Can’t put that on anyone else.”
Morris believed the Falcons should have had at least one second remaining, though he admitted it was a situation both the team and Penix would learn from.
All in all, this has to be chalked up as another learning experience for Penix. But now, the questions aren’t just about his performance—they’re about his health. The Falcons will return home in Week 8 to host the struggling Miami Dolphins.
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