For as inconsistent as Michael Penix Jr. looked in his inaugural season as the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback, he still managed to silence any questions about his suitability as the Falcons' long-term answer at QB. However, his third ACL tear since college has only seen questions surface surrounding his durability.
The injury woes are a true concern, but Penix is superior to the alternative. Two picks after the Dirty Birds selected Penix during the 2024 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings traded up to select Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, who despite being younger, has been just as injury prone and arguably far worse.
The 22-year-old might have beaten Penix and Washington in the 2023 national championship, but that success has yet to translate to the NFL, which became clear in Week 12. In the Vikings' 23-6 loss to the Green Bay Packers, McCarthy was held to just 87 passing yards and threw two interceptions.
Week 12 affirmed that an injured Michael Penix Jr. is still more valuable than J.J. McCarthy
Just a month signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year $180 million deal, it was stunning to see the Falcons select a quarterback, but fans were even more perplexed that the Dirty Birds drafted the older, more pro-ready option rather than replicating the Jordan Love experiment that succeeded in Green Bay.
But in the NFL, hindsight isn't always 20/20. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus and missed five starts this season due to a high ankle sprain, but has struggled in what is considered his rookie season as the Vikings sit at 4-7 and dead last in the NFC North standings.
In just six NFL starts, the Michigan man has thrown six touchdowns and a staggering 10 interceptions. He's thrown multiple interceptions in three consecutive starts and has six of those 10 across his last three games, as his decision-making has been leaving a lot to be desired in Minnesota.
To make matters even worse, the Vikings were sitting on a gold mine at QB before giving McCarthy a shot. Sam Darnold led Kevin O'Connell's group to a 14-3 finish, and he's now thriving in Seattle after they let the former No. 3 overall pick walk. And Darnold has looked like an MVP candidate this season.
Meanwhile, Daniel Jones was backing up the Pro Bowler, and Danny Dimes has helped the Colts emerge as one of the biggest surprise teams in the NFL. Both of their former signal-callers have their new teams in line to make the playoffs, while McCarthy can't even capitalize on an elite situation.
Even QB gurus like O'Connell and QB's coach Josh McCown haven't been able to help the Illinois native shake his bad habits, and it's starting to see fans quickly and understandably label McCarthy as a massive draft bust—which is making Penix's rocky start and injury woes look that much better.