Panthers Legend Luke Kuechly Raves about Michael Penix Jr. Falcons Debut

Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback made his starting debut on Sunday, and he impressed one of the best defenders of all time.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. impressed Carolina Panthers legendary linebacker Luke Kuechly with his starting debut. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Carolina Panthers legend Luke Kuechly sounded like he was impressed with divisional rival Michael Penix Jr. in the rookie’s debut start for the Atlanta Falcons versus the New York Giants.

Revered as the smartest linebacker in NFL history, Kuechly knows what it takes to win the NFC South, be a top-10 pick, go deep into the playoffs, and contend for a Super Bowl. 

Kuechly appeared on NFL personality Kay Adams's show Up and Adams and raved about rookie's first start.

"(Penix) looked really good," said Kuechly "Played with a ton of confidence. That ball was coming out, he was ripping it. The confidence for a young guy to stand in the pocket, to go through his progressions.”

The stat sheet can start the story for Penix’s performance, but the box score doesn't tell the whole story. He was 18-27, 202 passing yards, and one interception is a solid day, considering without multiple drops, Penix would have been closer to 75% completion rate. His first-career interception was baseball's equivalent of an unearned run courtesy of tight end Kyle Pitts. 

Brutal red zone INT from Michael Penix. Just a classic rookie mistake of thinking Kyle Pitts could catch a football. He'll learn.pic.twitter.com/8zwhJRLB85

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) December 22, 2024

Kuechly points out that unlike most top-10 rookie quarterbacks, Penix is one of the final pieces of a rebuild, instead of the first.

“He’s got really good guys around him," said Kuechly. "I don’t think he tried to do too much. I think the thing that’s important for him is when the ball was able to go down the field, he stepped into it with confidence and threw the ball, and then when nothing was there downfield, 'let me get the ball to Bijan Robinson in the flat.'

"That’s the biggest thing I think for offenses; just make defenses tackle you. The easiest thing for a defense is when it’s an incomplete pass or a throwaway. The hardest thing to do is when the ball is in space with a guy like Bijan Robinson and you got to go tackle him."

High praised indeed from a defender who made the Pro Bowl in seven of his eight seasons and was no worse than second-team All-Pro after a first-year that saw him take home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

The pressure picks up in Penix's encore. The rookie looked good against a hapless New York Giants team headed for the No. 1 overall pick. The pressure picks up this week against the 10-5 Washington Commanders with Rookie of the Year favorite Jayden Daniels at the helm.