Michael Penix Jr. has hit a rough patch, but the Falcons can’t afford to flinch now.
After five interceptions across his last two games, including four against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Atlanta quarterback is drawing plenty of heat. He also looked more dangerous as a runner than as a passer in the loss to the Bengals. That’s the kind of stretch that gets everybody talking, especially when the mistakes are as loud as Penix’s have been.
Still, Atlanta has already put too much into him to start overreacting every time he has a bad night. The smarter move is to let him play out the rest of the season and see what they really have.
That’s especially true because Penix had already shown plenty before this slump. Through his first five starts of 2026, he threw nine touchdowns and only one interception.
The four-pick outing against Tampa Bay was ugly, no question. He made poor choices, forced throws he shouldn’t have, and left the Falcons in bad spots.
But young quarterbacks stumble. Sometimes they stumble hard.
Penix has shown enough promising moments to earn patience, particularly with how little experience he has. Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees have to live with the full picture, not just the bad stretch.
Atlanta’s bigger problem is that it keeps cycling through quarterback answers without finding one that sticks. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a huge deal in 2024, then drafted Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall a few weeks later. That’s how they ended up in QB purgatory.
Cousins struggled, Penix stepped in, injuries entered the picture, and Atlanta eventually added more veteran competition. Now Tua Tagovailoa and Andy Dalton are also in the quarterback room, which means the Falcons do have alternatives if Penix keeps slipping.
But what would benching him actually solve?
If Penix finishes strong over the final eight games, Atlanta can head into the offseason feeling better about its quarterback situation. If he doesn’t, the Falcons will at least know more about where he stands going into 2027 and can plan to bring in competition through the draft. Either way, the team gets information it can use.
There’s also the question of how Atlanta has handled him on offense. In the loss to Tampa Bay, Rees leaned on the passing game even with tough weather conditions, while Bijan Robinson finished with only 19 carries. Penix deserves blame for the turnovers, but the coaching staff has to do its part and put him in better positions.
The Falcons have enough talent around him to let him work through mistakes without asking him to carry everything every week. He might not end up being the answer, but he deserves the chance to prove he can be the franchise quarterback.
At this point, Atlanta has enough season left to get a real read on him. Penix is going to make more mistakes before this year is done.
The point is to see whether he can learn from them. Backing away now would be the wrong call after everything the Falcons have already invested.
In Other News...
Falcons Defense Faces A Brutal Mahomes Problem This Week
Patrick Mahomes spent the week listed with an elbow strain and sprain, but he practiced fully and is expected to be out there in Week 10 when the Falcons meet the Chiefs. For Atlanta, that changes the conversation from whether Kansas City might be shorthanded to how much damage Mahomes can still do even while working through an injury, especially against a defense that has to be ready for the speed and rhythm of the Chiefs passing game.
The challenge gets even trickier because Kansas City does not need to lean on one thing to move the ball. Kenneth Walker III gives the Chiefs a strong ground element, while Mahomes and the passing attack can still stress a defense with quick throws and yards after the catch. For the Falcons, the problem is less about one matchup and more about surviving the full menu of what Kansas City can throw at them. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Bring Kicker Drama Into Falcons Game With Bigger Question Looming
Harrison Butkers recent run of missed field goals has become one of the quieter but more persistent issues hanging over Kansas City, with the veteran kicker coming up short in recent games against the Seahawks and Broncos. Even so, the Chiefs are not making a change just yet, and the situation now follows them into a matchup with Atlanta, where special teams could matter as much as anything else if the game stays tight.
Andy Reid is keeping Butker in the lineup for now, even as the Chiefs have added Justin Tucker to the practice squad and left the door open to a possible shakeup later. For the Falcons, it is the kind of subplot worth watching from afar, because a team that has been steady enough to keep its footing in the standings could still end up facing a very different kicking picture before long. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Drew A Hard Line In Their Rebuild
The Falcons were willing to make real moves at the NFL trade deadline, sending away key starters Jessie Bates III and Ryan Neuzil as they continue reshaping the roster. But the front office also made clear there is a difference between retooling and tearing it down, and some names were never part of the conversation in the same way. Atlantas approach suggests a rebuild with boundaries, not a full-scale purge.
One of those boundaries was Bijan Robinson. The Giants reportedly checked in on the running back, but Atlanta never seriously entertained the idea of moving him, a sign of how firmly the team views him as part of its long-term core. For a franchise trying to build around young talent, keeping Robinson out of the deadline churn says plenty about where the Falcons believe their foundation already is. [Read more 🡒]