Falcons QB Michael Penix on Preparations for First NFL Start vs. Giants

The Falcons' first-round gunslinger taps into his mindset ahead of earning his first starting nod as Atlanta hosts New York.

Nov 17, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) at the line of scrimmage in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The New York Giants are no strangers to making a sudden change at the quarterback position in the middle of a difficult season. Now they’ll face an opponent who is doing likewise at an equally pivotal moment. 

For the Giants, the post-Daniel Jones half of their season has been a royal disaster for more reasons than one. The biggest issue has been injuries as the team has recycled through three different arms since the former starter’s release due to each chosen replacement landing an ailment in their succeeding start. 

The performances on the field haven’t been anything to write home about, either. All three answers–Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, and Tim Boyle–have combined for 794 yards and one passing touchdown to leave the Giants with the most underperforming offensive huddle in the entire league and on the precipice of their longest losing streak in franchise history. 

As the Giants head to Atlanta with their fifth different starter in as many weeks (Drew Lock), they find their opponent pulling the same move at their quarterback spot at a surprising time. 

Earlier in the week, the Falcons elected to bench Kirk Cousins after a slew of struggling games in exchange for backup rookie Michael Penix Jr., who has earned his first starting nod in the NFL. 

The move opened many eyes in the football world, especially after the Falcons had just handed Cousins a hefty contract last offseason. He had been working hard to bounce back from an ACL injury suffered in 2023 through the first 14 games. 

Still, the veteran had been struggling lately, throwing nine interceptions and just one touchdown in the last five contests to sink Atlanta’s record to 7-7 after starting the year with a strong 6-4 record in the first 10. 

That signaled a call to shift the passing duties to Penix with three important games left to go for the Falcons, who will host the Giants in a Week 16 affair that could define the future of their campaign. 

Penix, the eighth overall selection in the 2024 draft, has only appeared in preseason and cleanup duty in two spots this season and wasn’t expected to take over the reins from his counterpart in Cousins this early, but will be heading into his debut confident thanks to the work he’s put behind the scenes to stay ready to help his team. 

“Just the mental reps–that was always there,” Penix told reporters after being told he was given the start. “Preparing like the starter and always being ready because I didn't know when my number was going to be called. It could have been called at any point, you know, so just me making sure I was ready, that was the biggest thing.

“And as far as what you were talking about with the physical part, as far as getting the reps with the guys, that would come this week, and we got this week to prepare. And I already talked to some of the receivers, and they said they're ready to get those reps, if we have to do it after practice to get more then they're willing to and that's the biggest thing. You know, just make sure I find time to get with those guys.”

It seems rational for a player of Penix’s status to exude confidence despite heading into a situation that would make most rookies slightly nervous. The 24-year-old might be new to the NFL landscape, but he already has five years of starting caliber experience under his belt from his days in the college ranks. 

In those seasons, three with Indiana and two with the University of Washington, Penix had four with over 1,000 yards passing, including two 4,600+-yard and 31+-touchdown campaigns in his final two seasons with the Huskies. He held one of the best stat lines in college football during the 2023 season, bringing his school to the brink of a national title that fell just short against Michigan.

However, his latest call to the huddle will be for a much different predicament than the national champion runner-up and Maxwell Award winner has seen before.

For the first time in several years, he is entering as the replacement with a lot of pressure on his shoulders to perform as the Falcons’ hopes for extended January football hangs in the balance.

Atlanta enters Sunday’s meeting with the Giants at an even .500 standing and one game back of the final Wild Card spot in the NFC playoff picture.

Their odds at stealing the crown of a mediocre South division are also within reach with just three games left to go as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sit one game above them in the loss column, albeit without the benefit of the head-to-head tiebreaker. 

A win over New York would allow the Falcons to keep their postseason dreams alive before a mixed final two games against Washington and Carolina. The one issue is that their offense has been reeling at the wrong time, and Penix will need to reel it in if his team is to have any chance of making the league dance.

While the environment is one with high stakes for both franchises, which aren’t in the top weight class of the NFL but have two totally separate goals in mind, Penix knows he can only control what is right in front of him, and that’s his mindset on the game at hand before any real conversation about the future takes place.

“Yeah, my previous coaches, we all used to always preach 1-0 mindset,” Penix said. “I’m focused on this week right now, and that's all I can focus on right now, is what we got in front of us, and that's the Giants, and trying to make sure I'm prepared to be able to do whatever it takes to help us win this football game.”

“We’ll take it one step at a time. I'm not looking too far ahead, like, oh, this is a playoff game, but as long as we execute and do what we have to do, we'll come out with a win and the playoffs, that's something that comes with it. But I'm just trying to stay in the moment right now.”

Penix and the woeful Falcons offense couldn’t have asked for a better landing spot to commence their mini-season with their new man under center than that of the Giants. They’ll greet one of the league’s most deteriorating units on both sides of the ball, especially the defense that has been marred by injuries in the interior. 

Atlanta’s pass attack hasn’t been thrilling in recent contests, but they still own the 21st-ranked unit in points and the ninth-best huddle in yards per game, which extends from being sixth and eighth in average aerial yards per game and throw. 

Where they can get after the Giants more is on the ground, as New York has been bottom-barrel in major rushing statistics allowed to opponents.

It’ll be interesting to see if they choose to attack the Giants with two players as running back Bijan Robinson leads with 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns and Penix can add some extra work with his mobility from the pocket. 

The Falcons will need more than just a physical playmaker out of their new starting quarterback. They’ll need a leader who can keep the offense together and motivated amid a change that, on the Giants' side, was able to divide up the locker room when it happened to them.

The Giants have seen firsthand how sudden change and the subsequent inconsistency can further degrade an entire season, and that’s something the Falcons want to avoid if the playoffs are to remain a possibility in the final three games of the regular season.

Penix won’t think too far ahead, but he knows he’ll need to step up and be a leader who commands the huddle and directs it to a timely victory on Sunday.

The good news is that he feels more than ready, thanks to his quality mental reps and learning behind his great mentor, Cousins. It’s like the master and the apprentice, and the latter now gets his turn to show what he has learned in front of thousands of hopeful Falcons faithful. 

“I mean, at the end of the day, I feel like I was always a leader,” Penix said. “Just always trying to find ways to help impact the team and help the team be ready for game week.”

“In meetings now, coach will look at me to say how I feel about a certain route. Before it was Kirk [Cousins]. He'd ask Kirk, ‘How do you like this route?’ Kirk would speak up in meetings, and now I'll take on that role.”

"It's small stuff like that that's different, but I’ve just got to be myself. I don't feel like I’ve got to be anybody else. I don't have to try too hard to be that big leader, the vocal leader. Just be myself and just trust my preparation and bring everybody along with me.”

Repeating a question on his lasting advice before he steps onto the field on Sunday afternoon:

“Be you. That really just came to my head, because it's just ‘Be you.’ It doesn't matter what circumstance, it doesn't matter what your position is at that time, just be yourself. The guys, they'll gravitate to you. As long as you're genuine, the guys, they can relate to that.

"But if you try to be somebody else, people can see that. And nobody likes it when you're trying to be somebody else. I just try to be myself every day.”

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