You could blame the Atlanta Falcons' Week 8 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on any number of things. The Falcons were out-played in every aspect of the game, but perhaps the worst development from a historically pathetic loss to a division rival was the dismal performance from Michael Penix Jr.
In the 16-0 shutout loss, Penix completed just eight of 24 pass attempts for 125 yards and four interceptions. There is no amount of excuses the torrential downpour can make for this, especially considering more than half of his passing yards (76) came on one pass play to Jahan Dotson and he had so many wobblers out there he's lucky he didn't end up with five or more picks on the day.
76 YARDS FOR JAHAN DOTSON
— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2026
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Let's be real here: there's no denying that the former top-10 pick was downright awful out there against the Bucs, but it should be nothing to freak out about. Todd Bowles' defense is legit and given they made Bryce Young look just as bad last week, this should say less about Penix than we think.
However, too many Falcons fans see this Week 8 loss as dead proof that No. 9 is not a franchise quarterback and they should be looking for his replacement this offseason. Of course, changes will need to be made, but replacing your supposed franchise guy is a whole lot easier said than done.
The Atlanta Falcons have to keep believing in Michael Penix Jr. despite what we saw yesterday
Michael Penix Jr. will be the first to admit that he didn't play up to par against the Bucs, but that shouldn't take away from the sample size we've seen this year. All season his calling card has been taking care of the ball, but not everything we saw in this game was his fault in these conditions. Just a week after his career-best passer rating, his 6.2 passer rating in Week 8 marked a career-worst.
Let's not get rash here. Do you really want to see Atlanta turn to Andy Dalton or Tua Tagovailoa? Both of those options are undoubtedly worse than Penix, regardless of how bad the quarterback play was yesterday. Besides, one bad game should not undo all of the goodwill he's earned this season
Kevin Stefanski even told reporters after the game he has no concerns about Penix's performance, which is the right decision. When you draft a young quarterback, there are often high highs and low lows, and it's on the franchise to know to take the good with the bad in regards to their development.
It's obvious Penix still has red flags and is not a polished product, and all this loss did was confirm that notion. And when you consider the 2027 QB class is weaker than expected, the Dirty Birds would be better off rolling with him for another year. He still has two seasons left on his rookie deal, so it's not like you are hitching your wagon to him for the next half-decade and paying him elite QB money.
It's just premature to suggest they should move on from him off this one rough outing. The Falcons have been stuck in QB purgatory for years before this, so it would be asinine to phase your guy out as soon as you find him over this--especially given this was the year he was finally putting it all together.
This was one of the strangest games in NFL history. The Bucs became the first team in over 50 years to win a game without completing a single pass, so while Michael Penix Jr. looked bad out there, this game is the ultimate anomaly, and given the alternatives, there's no way they don't stick with him for the rest of 2026 at least.
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