Falcons See 'Great' Development from Michael Penix Jr. Before Second Preseason Game

The Atlanta Falcons are encouraged by the progress of their young signal caller leading into Saturday's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is poised for his second dose of NFL preseason action Saturday, when the Falcons play the Baltimore Ravens at noon inside M&T Bank Stadium.

Penix made his professional debut Aug. 9 against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium and impressed, going 9-of-16 for 104 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. His best throw of the night was a 41-yard completion to receiver Chris Blair down the right sideline, marking Atlanta's most explosive play in its preseason opener.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris felt Penix made a few mistakes, be it looking the wrong way on one play and not changing his protection on another, but otherwise had a strong showing in Miami.

"I was really fired up about his overall operation, his demeanor, his ability to see what he saw on the grass," Morris said. "When he comes off the grass and he’s able to talk to you about what happened, exactly what happened, how it went down - the game was a little bit slower for him, which you like.

"Operationally, he was even better than he had been in practice in the huddle, which is really good because he had gotten so much better from even the spring to now."

Progress in that regard left Morris "really fired up," and while Morris felt Penix impressed with his arm, there was much more to the evaluation that excites Atlanta's coaching staff.

"Not just throwing the football around -- he threw it nice -- but just overall playing the position, going through the stuff and being able to get his stuff on the right track, that was really good," Morris said. "That was a really good day for him. Really pleased."

After the game, Penix said he felt he did okay, but when speaking after practice Thursday, the draft's No. 8 overall pick noted he needs to be better for the team each week.

The 24-year-old Penix will get another opportunity to do that against the Ravens, with a chance to carry positive momentum after an intense two days of practice.

Atlanta ran good-on-good, ones versus twos (and vice versa, "Mamba" periods (ones versus ones, twos versus twos) and situational drills while Penix and veteran starter Kirk Cousins pushed the ball downfield more than they have throughout a majority of the summer.

During the two practices, Penix went 26-of-39 while throwing an interception to cornerback A.J. Terrell, according to ESPN's Marc Raimondi.

Much as he did against the Dolphins, Penix handled the Falcons' pre-snap responsibilities well, from getting in and out of the huddle faster to fine-tuning his timing with officials. And this, Morris said, is where growth can best be measured.

"His development is coming along great," Morris said. "I'm fired up to watch him. I was fired up to see him get his feet wet last week, in a preseason game, to go out there and really show well for himself."

For Penix, the biggest adjustment from the University of Washington to the NFL has been time. There's no school or tutors to visit -- it's all football. As such, more time is committed to building and improving on his craft.

Penix has checked many of the Falcons' development-based boxes thus far. He has a chance to cement the status of those boxes over the final two preseason games, the first of which comes Saturday in Baltimore.

Yet Penix stressed he's approaching the job on a day-to-day basis. And for now, his goal against the Ravens is simple enough: To build on a week filled with growth after his preseason debut.

"For me, it's just make sure I stay on track, stay consistent with everything I do," Penix said. "Obviously the accuracy part as a quarterback, you've got to be consistent with that. Just my attitude, the way I attack each and every opportunity I get to be on the field and that's what it's always about."