Inside The Huskies

Penix Shows NFL What Husky Fans Already Knew -- This Guy's Good

The former UW quarterback had an impressive starting debut for the Atlanta Falcons.

Dan Raley

Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the former Husky, celebrates a victory over the Giants in his first NFL start.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the former Husky, celebrates a victory over the Giants in his first NFL start. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In three-plus hours, Michael Penix Jr. went from being an opening act to a stadium headliner -- he became an instant rock star.

He was the biggest story going into Sunday's late-season round of NFL games and the biggest story coming out.

In Atlanta, the rookie quarterback used all of that trademark poise and confidence that made him practically unbeatable at the University of Washington to ensure that his pro starting debut was a rousing success, leading the Falcons past the hapless New York Giants 34-7 at Mercedes Benz Stadium.

"I was ready for the moment," Penix said, charming everyone with his easy demeanor in the aftermath of his personal milestone.

With only a pair of mop-up appearances behind him, Penix stepped in for benched veteran Kirk Cousins and, after a scoreless first quarter, kept the ball moving up and down the field throughout the lopsided victory.

The left-hander drove the Falcons to pair of Bijan Robinson touchdown runs from 2 and 4 yards and a pair of Riley Patterson field goals from 52 and 37 yards, with the defense supplementing those efforts with a pair of pick-6s. Safety Jessie Bates covered 55 yards with his interception to score in the second quarter, while linebacker Matthew Judon raced in from 27 yards out with his pass theft early in the second half.

“He went out and played almost flawless football,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said of his first-year QB. “He kept the game really clean."

Penix completed 18 of 27 passes for 202 yards even while his receivers dropped three of his deliveries. This included tight and Kyle Pitts coughing up the football short of the end zone, practically shoveling the ball into a defenders hands for an interception that wasn't the quarterback's fault.

"I know I'm here for a reason," Penix said.

Moving the Falcons (8-7) over the .500 marker, Penix kept his team in the playoff race, though Atlanta needs to close with wins over the Washington Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys while hoping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose one coming down the stretch.

It's Penix's postseason push to lose, with the Falcons giving the rookie the offensive reins for the rest of the season.

Penix and Cousins, the new QB and the old QB, were seen saying a prayer together before the Falcons ran out of the locker. Admittedly, nerves were part of the process for the new guy early on but they quickly disappeared once the former Husky signal-caller went to work.

“It’s the game I’ve been playing since I was 5 years old,” said Penix, now 24. “Obviously it’s different, it’s at a higher level, but you know it’s the same game. I’ve just got to go out there and execute. Once we hit the field, I was good.”

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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