The Atlanta Falcons have pushed their way into the national spotlight, and Colin Cowherd is one of the people paying attention.
In the latest version of his Week 5 Herd Hierarchy, Cowherd placed Atlanta at No. 8 among the NFL’s top teams. That’s a meaningful nod for a club that started 0-2 but has since strung together back-to-back wins.
At the center of Cowherd’s case for the Falcons is Michael Penix Jr. The third-year quarterback has looked more and more comfortable under head coach Kevin Stefanski, especially over the last two games.
"What you're watching with Atlanta is not a mirage," Cowherd said.
Penix has started those last two games and has played some of his sharpest football since arriving in the league. Over that stretch, he has completed 73 percent of his passes and posted a 113 passer rating.
Cowherd pointed to the coaching switch as a big part of the reason Penix is trending up.
"Michael Penix broke into this league with a defensive coach," Cowherd said. "Then he gets Kevin Stefanski, who, when Cleveland fired him, interviewed for five jobs in about 45 minutes. He lands in Atlanta with all these weapons."
The payoff has shown up on the scoreboard. The Falcons have put up 80 points across Penix’s two starts since returning to the lineup.
He completed 15 of 20 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta’s 45-24 Monday Night Football win over the New Orleans Saints. That came a week after he helped guide the Falcons to a convincing victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Cowherd says the bigger story is that Penix is starting to look like the quarterback Atlanta thought it was drafting eighth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
"He always threw a beautiful ball, but he didn't have his guy," Cowherd said. "Michael Penix Jr. looked like he did last night and last week, like he did in college."
Penix’s rise has lined up with the rest of Atlanta’s offense finding its footing. Bijan Robinson has been one of the league’s most productive running backs, while Drake London and Kyle Pitts give Penix multiple weapons in the passing game.
After dropping their first two contests, the Falcons have answered with consecutive dominant wins. That has brought them into the national conversation.
Cowherd’s No. 8 ranking doesn’t crown Atlanta as an elite team just yet, but it does reflect growing respect around what the Falcons are building. They appear to have found what they’ve been searching for: a confident quarterback and an offense capable of making them a real threat.
That test gets much bigger Sunday night, when the Baltimore Ravens visit Atlanta. It’s a matchup that will give Penix and the Falcons their toughest proving ground so far.
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