After throwing five interceptions over his last two games, including four against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is facing serious criticism… In the loss to the Bengals, he looked more impressive as a rusher than he did as a passer.
But the Falcons need to be careful here. They have already invested too much into Penix to start second-guessing themselves after every bad game.
The way I see it, Atlanta needs to give him the rest of the season to figure things out. It's not like they have any better option.
Michael Penix Jr. has already shown the Falcons what he is capable of
It's easy to forget how well Michael Penix Jr. was playing before his recent struggles as he put up nine touchdowns against just one interception in his first five starts of 2026.
Sure, the four-interception performance against Tampa Bay was ugly. Penix made some poor decisions, forced throws he probably shouldn't have, and put Atlanta in difficult situations.
But young quarterbacks have bad games. Sometimes really bad ones. And Penix has already shown enough flashes to warrant more patience, especially considering how little experience he actually has. You have to take the good with the bad if you're Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees.
The Falcons need to stop playing musical chairs at quarterback
The Atlanta Falcons have spent the last few years making one questionable quarterback decision after another… They signed Kirk Cousins to a massive contract in 2024, only to turn around and draft Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall a few weeks later. This is why they've been stuck in QB purgatory.
Then Cousins struggled, Penix took over, injuries got involved, and Atlanta eventually brought in more veteran competition. Now, with Tua Tagovailoa and Andy Dalton also in the quarterback room, the Falcons have options if Penix continues struggling.
But what exactly would benching him accomplish?
If he plays well over the final eight games, the Falcons can enter the offseason with more confidence in their quarterback situation. If he struggles, they'll at least have a much better understanding of where he stands heading into 2027 and can draft some competition.
Either outcome gives Atlanta something useful. And there's another issue here that shouldn't be ignored. The Falcons haven't always done Penix many favors with their offensive approach.
During the loss to Tampa Bay, for example, Rees leaned heavily on its passing game despite difficult weather conditions, while Bijan Robinson finished with just 19 carries. Penix deserves criticism for his inability to take care of the football, but the coaching staff also has a responsibility to put him in better situations.
The Falcons have enough offensive talent to help their young quarterback work through some of these mistakes without asking him to carry the entire offense every week. For all we know, the 26-year-old might not be the guy, but he deserves a chance to at least prove himself as a franchise QB.
And frankly, if Atlanta benches Penix now, what happens next? Penix has made mistakes, and there will probably be more before the season ends. But the Falcons need to find out whether he can learn from them.
At the midway point of the season, Atlanta has enough time to get a much clearer evaluation of its young quarterback. Giving up on Michael Penix Jr. now would be a mistake, especially after everything the franchise has already done to get to this point.
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