Michael Penix Jr. came back on Thursday night with a lot to answer for, and he answered in a hurry. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback helped power a 35-14 rout of the Green Bay Packers, turning what could have been a rough night for Atlanta into a statement win.
It didn’t start cleanly. Penix opened the game with an interception, a moment that could have sent Falcons fans spiraling about an 0-3 start. Instead, he settled in and took over from there, finishing with 256 passing yards and a touchdown.
The night also put Penix in franchise history. In just his 13th career start, he went over 3,000 passing yards, making him the fastest quarterback in Falcons history to hit that number, per McElhaney. That means he got there quicker than names like Matt Ryan and Michael Vick.
Penix’s biggest impact may have come through Drake London. After a quiet start to the season, London erupted for 194 receiving yards, and Penix was the one feeding him all night. The quarterback and Bijan Robinson also worked well together, with Robinson’s success helping create more room for the passing game.
Thursday carried extra weight for Penix, who had drawn criticism for missing the first two weeks. He had made it clear he would not return until he felt medically ready, while Cooper Rush struggled under center in his absence. Against Green Bay, Penix looked like the kind of player Atlanta hoped it was drafting in the first round.
Now the Falcons get a little extra time before their Monday night matchup with the New Orleans Saints, where Penix will have another chance to keep building his case as Atlanta’s franchise quarterback.
In Other News...
Al Michaels Turned A Falcons Broadcast Into A Michael Penix Joke
Al Michaels had a brief but noticeable slip during Thursday nights Falcons-Packer matchup, and it landed in a place Atlanta fans know well: around Michael Penix Jr.s college path. While talking about the quarterback on the broadcast, Michaels mistakenly said Penix spent two years at Oregon after starting at Indiana, before quickly correcting himself and noting that Penix actually played at Washington instead.
The correction mattered because Washington is a rival of Oregon, and the mix-up did not go unnoticed. Fans immediately lit into the error on social media, turning a simple broadcast miss into another talking point around Penix, who has already been under a brighter spotlight as Atlantas quarterback situation continues to draw scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Fans Will Love How Stefanski Closed Out Green Bay
Kevin Stefanskis late decision against Green Bay fit the kind of aggressive edge Falcons fans have been waiting to see. With Atlanta sitting on a comfortable lead, he opted to go for two instead of settling for the extra point, pushing the margin to 21 and making the math even tougher on the Packers in the final stretch.
It was a fitting cap to a strong all-around afternoon for Atlanta, with Bijan Robinson powering the ground game for 194 yards and two touchdowns and Michael Penix Jr. adding 256 passing yards and a score. The choice also showed clear awareness of what Jordan Love could still theoretically do, but it left Green Bay needing a very specific sequence it could no longer realistically put together. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Jr. Already Put Falcons Fans On Edge In Debut
Michael Penix Jr. stepped into the Falcons starting quarterback job in their 2026 season debut on Thursday night against the Packers, and the opening minutes gave Atlanta fans plenty to feel all at once. Penix was intercepted on the first drive, but the Falcons settled in quickly enough to answer Green Bays early touchdown pass from Jordan Love, with Bijan Robinson sparking the offense on a 55-yard run and later finding the end zone on the ground.
Atlantas response turned the mood in the building fast, especially once Penix connected with Austin Hooper for a touchdown pass and the Falcons pushed out to a 17-7 lead late in the second quarter. For a quarterback making his first start, the early turnover was the kind of jolt that can linger, but the way the Falcons steadied themselves around him suggested this debut was going to be watched closely all night. [Read more 🡒]