But Falcons head coach Raheem Morris felt his 24-year-old signal caller delivered an "almost flawless" performance, avoiding fatal mistakes and operating a high level to help Atlanta get its largest win in over four years.

Although the box score doesn't show it and the most notable play from the game was an ugly drop from tight end Kyle Pitts that turned into his first career interception, Michael Penix Jr. looked like

The Kirk Cousins fiasco for the Atlanta Falcons led to a $180 million decision, and the winner was Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons. So far.

Penix, the former Washington Huskies QB, led the Falcons to an easy win over the New York Giants before suffering a 30-24 overtime loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 17. Despite the loss, Penix impressed those around the NFL with his poise in the face of adversity.

The Michael Penix Jr. era started ahead of schedule for the Atlanta Falcons. The 24-year-old rookie debuts against the hapless 2-12 New York Giants.

The Falcons surprisingly selected Penix with the eighth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. The pick wasn't a surprise because of Penix's résumé so much as the team's $180 million signing of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins earlier in the offseason. After a rough 14 games to begin his Falcons career, Atlanta benched Cousins for Penix.

Falcons quarterback Michael Penix may not be an elite runner, but he still has the ability to escape the pocket when the play breaks down. With Atlanta near the goal line, Penix was flushed from the pocket before scrambling for the game-tying touchdown in the

Despite another campaign marred by catastrophic blunders, there’s a radiant light shining at the end of the tunnel in Michael Penix Jr. The rookie quarterback stepped in the place of Kirk Cousins for the final three games of the season and performed better than anybody could have possibly imagined,

The rookie quarterback still has some growing to do but he’s pulled off some impressive highlights in his first few starts, including this TD.