Falcons See Future with Michael Penix, but Playoff Hopes Crash at Commanders

The Atlanta Falcons saw rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr.'s first signature moment, but they failed to finish in a 30-24 loss to the Washington Commanders.

Atlanta Falcons receiver Drake London (5) believes in the team's future under quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9). / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

LANDOVER, Md. -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.'s hands fell to his knees while his head dropped to waist-level.

Penix's third down pass to receiver Drake London sailed high and wide right. His Falcons faced a fourth-and-goal from the 13-yard line, needing a touchdown to erase a 24-17 deficit inside of 100 seconds remaining in Sunday night's game against the Washington Commanders.

The problem? Penix hadn't thrown an NFL touchdown through his first 63 attempts. The moment? Atlanta desperately needed a victory to win the NFC South for the first time in eight years and make the playoffs for the first time in seven.

Yet Penix, making his second NFL start, was unfazed.

The 24-year-old delivered a strike over the middle to tight end Kyle Pitts, who fell into the endzone and secured one of the biggest catches in his 60-game professional career. The extra point was good, and Atlanta tied it.

"That's what happens when we're on the same page and everybody's executing at a high level -- we make big time plays," Penix said postgame. "We've got the players to do it, we've just got to be consistent with it and find ways to win. Find ways to win."

But the Falcons didn't find that way Sunday night.

After a missed field goal, lost coin toss and methodical touchdown-sealing drive from the Commanders (11-5), the Falcons (8-8) departed Northwest Stadium with a 30-24 defeat in overtime.

Atlanta, as its grown so familiar to over the past seven years, suffered December heartbreak -- but this time with a little bit of a glimmer in its eye.

"I had fun this this year, I had a ton of fun," London said postgame. "Still have one more game, and we're still looking to have more fun. This is a growing team. We got a young core, young cast, and I just feel like, if we keep on putting it together -- we have more time together -- the sky's the limit for us."

London, a third-year pro, secured his first 1,000-yard season as a professional in a seven-catch, 106-yard performance. Running back Bijan Robinson, in his second NFL season, scored two rushing touchdowns Sunday, the fourth time he's done so this year.

Penix finished 19-for-35 passing for 223 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Pitts, a fourth-year pro who's contractually slated to return in 2025, caught his first touchdown since Oct. 27.

Each of Atlanta's core four of ex-top 10 picks delivered Sunday night. This is where London's optimism starts, and it's rooted in the right blend long-term.

But on Sunday, the sky came crashing down -- at least for this year.

"I really came into this game, as all of us did, with the expectation of win this one, win Carolina and prepping for whoever we're prepping for (in the playoffs)," safety Justin Simmons said after the game. "So, it's going to take a second, and now I just need to regroup after 24 hours and put all my focus on Carolina."

The Falcons' 17-7 halftime lead vanished over a near-17-minute stretch to start the second half, during which their offense ran only three plays while Washington possessed the ball for all but two minutes.

Atlanta's ground game, which had 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the first half, mustered 25 yards on just six carries in the second half. Counting overtime, when the Commanders possessed the ball for the entire 7:15 period, Atlanta held possession for just nine minutes after halftime.

And while the Falcons' offense sat on the sidelines, their defense wore down -- in part, Simmons said, because of its own self-inflicted wounds, be it penalties or missed tackles.

Washington didn't necessarily change anything in its offensive approach to create the elongated drives, outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie said. Instead, star rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels merely took over.

"I think Jayden Daniels kind of started scrambling a little bit more," Ebiketie said. "He kind of put the game into his own hands. So, he's a good player. We expected things like that, so it was just a matter of us containing him a little more in the second half."

Daniels eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the first time in his NFL career. He had only two runs for 24 yards in the first half but ran 14 times for 103 yards in the second half and overtime.

Penix, meanwhile, became mortal. On Atlanta's first two drives of the second half, he fumbled twice when sacked, something he said postgame he's never really done before. He acknowledged he needs to be better with the ball moving forward.

There were a few throws Penix appeared frustrated with during Sunday's game, and he said he missed some passes he usually makes. He and London spoke at halftime, during which Penix admitted he had to give London more catchable targets.

London downplayed it, noting the lack of time on task the two have. Chemistry, in Week 17, usually isn't an issue -- but for the Falcons, who benched veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins for Penix after Week 15, it's been a work-in-progress.

Growing pains had to be expected for Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in April's draft who'd thrown only five passes across two appearances in garbage time of blowout defeats before being named the starter.

He felt them more Sunday night than he did in his first start Dec. 22 against the New York Giants -- but he also proved the mettle, arm talent and leadership that made Falcons coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot fall in love this spring.

Penix's tangible traits are well-documented. His intangibles, perhaps not so much. Until Sunday, when Penix showed, as London described it, his "dog mentality."

"He's an absolute dog, and he stays poised," London said. "You may not see it, but he's got that shit in his eyes for sure. ... When he misses his opps and stuff, he's mad at himself. He's not mad at (anybody) else. So to have a quarterback like that, and just him growing as a person and as a football player, is amazing to see."

But it still wasn't enough.

Now, the Falcons have just a 12% chance to make the playoffs, according to The Athletic's playoff predictor. Atlanta needs to beat the Carolina Panthers (4-12) at 1 p.m. Sunday and hope the New Orleans Saints (5-11) beat the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) at the same time. Both the Falcons and Buccaneers are at home in their respective matchups.

And so, the Falcons, who in early November were 6-3 and held a two-game advantage -- plus the tiebreaker -- over the Buccaneers, are trending toward their seventh consecutive year without a playoff appearance.

"We put ourselves in the situation," defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said postgame. "We was this close to controlling our destiny and we let it slip. And that's the reality of it. We got to let it hurt. We got to let it burn."

An hour before Sunday's game kicked off, rain fell heavily onto the field. Just over four hours later, the night ended with watery eyes and broken hearts in Atlanta's condensed locker room.

But it also ended with a feeling that a star may have been born -- and an uneasy yet familiar reliance that next season may be different.