Falcons Can't Let Michael Penix Jr. Become Next Matt Ryan

Atlanta Falcons legend Matt Ryan is one of the most prodigious quarterbacks in NFL history, doomed by bad defenses his entire career.

Michael Penix Jr. looks like the quarterback of the future for the Atlanta Falcons. Now, about that defense. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Believe it or not, the Atlanta Falcons and their fanbase can actually take several silver linings from the 2024 season. Granted, a 2-6 swoon kept them from putting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers away, allowing them to hang around long enough to win the division. 

At the same time, the team looks like they can truly hang their hat on the fact that the immediate and long-term future looks rather bright. Through all of that, they need to heed the prophetic words of philosopher George Santayana. 

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Somehow this fits the Atlanta Falcons as a franchise in the best and worst ways possible. With Michael Penix Jr. looking as though he could lead the team for the next decade, management needs to seriously look at the recent decade-plus to see what not to do in regards to building a championship-quality roster.

 In all honesty, the Falcons leadership botched most of, if not all of, Matt Ryan's tenure in Atlanta, squandering opportunities to hoist the Lombardi. That resonates deeper the 28-3 debacle, even though that game put the Falcons' issues on a global stage. 

Before the team became a meme, they made the playoffs four times in Matt Ryan's first five years. Yet, one aspect haunted those teams and if 2024 is any indication, the franchise must immediately  nip it in the bud. 

Defenseless

This season, the Falcons moved the ball fairly well. Despite Kirk Cousins’s struggles, the Falcons still finished ranked No. 13 in scoring offense, an improvement over last season's No. 26 finish.

In contrast, the defense fell apart multiple times. Raheem Morris and more importantly Jimmy Lake, must answer for how Atlanta could neither get off the field or stop opponents from scoring. 

Morris was non-committal on Lake’s future at Monday’s press conference, but the Falcons were 23rd in total and scoring defense. They gave up the second-most passing touchdowns (34) despite three players with All-Pro selections on their resumes. They gave up the highest completion percentage (69.9%) and fourth highest highest quarterback rating (102.2). 

Atlanta gave up 25.9 points per game during their 2-6 finish to the season. Those losses included two rookie quarterbacks, and previously benched Bryce Young. Remove the 3-14 Giants and 4-13 Raiders, both of which who were fielding their third quarterback, and the Falcons gave up 31.8 points per game in their six losses. 

The Carolina Panthers were last in scoring defense in the NFL by a whopping four points at 31.4. That number is so bad, that the Dallas Cowboys finished 31st in scoring defense at 27.5, and were closer to the No. 19 Jets than they were the No. 32 Panthers.

And the Falcons were worse in their six losses.

Head coach Raheem Morris is fond of the phrase “stats are for losers,” and the deeper one digs into the Falcons defensive stats, the uglier it gets for Lake’s unit. 

Expecting the offense, that finished the season with rookie quarterback to repeatedly pull the Falcons' metaphorical fat out of the fire does not help anyone, at all.

How does this tie into Matt Ryan and the Falcons' history?

When the Falcons played the Patriots in Super Bowl LI, their defense ranked 27th in points and 25th in yards. In fact, six times during Ryan's 14-year career with the Falcons, the defense ranked twentieth or worse in yards and points. Ryan played one season in Atlanta with a team that finished top-10 in total defense (2017, 9th).

By comparison, Tom Brady played for the New England Patriots for 20 years. In those 20 seasons, the Patriots had a scoring defense outside the top-10 five times, including the No. 1 scoring defense in 2016.

Matt Ryan is the No. 8 all-time passer in the NFL. What might his resume look like if he was playing with a top-10 defense every year? 

Penix would like to find out. 

Overview

The Atlanta Falcons bring a strong offensive foundation to the table in Penix, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and a veteran offensive line. Additionally, they play in a dome which brings a fast surface and a warmer weather division that takes the elements out of the equation. 

The reason their trophy cabinet remains empty was their inattention to defense. Now, they can learn from that colossal faux pas and assemble a strong unit on that side of the ball.