Wednesday’s joint practice didn’t go according to plan. Ahead of the Tennessee Titan’s second preseason game on Friday, August 15, things got physical in Atlanta.
Joint practices tend to get heated, but the scenes in Atlanta weren’t pretty. The Falcons quarterback took trash talk to the next level as all sides commented on the situation.
Michael Penix Jr. Taken Down as Titans and Falcons Fight Ensues
ESPN.com’s Marc Raimondi pin-points Michael Penix Jr.’s deep throw to Ray-Ray McCloud III as the breaking point. With things already heating up, a bit of trash talk after that throw allowed for the fighting to commence.
The Falcons $22.88 million second-year QB has emerged as QB1 on the depth chart. After Kirk Cousins’ dreadful 2024 season, Atlanta is focused on their No. 8 overall pick from last season.
Michael Penix Jr. speaks on the fight
Says he threw the deep ball to Ray Ray and celebrated: “They had a lot of word on practice, so I gave them some word” #Falcons pic.twitter.com/M6yu1MNyqn
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) August 13, 2025
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With each team’s second preseason game just two days away, it’s clear they can’t wait to get on the field. Both teams can leave Atlanta with their first win of the season after putting up a combined 17 points last week.
Titans’ Adren Key spoke about the situation, “Penix started it on that one, on Team 1. But again, those guys in Atlanta, they protected the quarterback, which they were supposed to do. O-line came in, did what they did, and we wasn’t allowing that, but that’s what they were supposed to do.”
Turron Davenport contributed to Raimondi’s story which included numerous quotes from the Falcons QB, “I don’t know where I was at in it. It was a lot of people. I knew I was down there somewhere. I wasn’t the only one, though,” Penix Jr. said.
Five-Minute Brawl Headlines Titans and Falcons Joint Practice
“Both sidelines cleared and they continued at it for another 5 minutes,” Davenport spoke. The Titans reporter knew the team was less than thrilled with their performance yesterday, one that clearly translated to the field on Wednesday, August 13.
Ray Ray McCloud just beat Marcus Harris deep for a TD. #Titans DL and #Falcons got into it. Both sidelines cleared and they continued at it for another 5 minutes.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 13, 2025
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Penix Jr. continued, “I don’t really do too much talking until somebody say something to me and maybe I’ll want to, ‘OK, I threw a touchdown, now what y’all talking about,’”
“And then I guess not everybody takes that the right way. I think that’s all it was,” he added.
Key is the lone Titan that spoke to Raimondi about the incident. With just one more day of practice prior to their preseason matchup, it remains to be seen what else these two teams will do on the field.
Penix Jr. has yet to prove himself in the NFL. He started three games last year, completing just 58.1% of his passes. He threw three touchdowns and three interceptions as he ended the season with 775 rushing yards. The six-year college QB led the Falcons to a pair of overtime losses to end their season.
The 25-year-old may have let the trash talk get the best of him, but his teammates backed him up. Raimondi reported that Drake London, McCloud, and “several other Falcons players came to Penix’s aid.”
Easton Stick and Emory Jones played in the Falcons 17-10 loss to the Detroit Lions last week. The Titans offense has been the focal point of Tennessee’s offseason with their defensive core remaining solid.
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