While the jury's still out on whether Michael Penix Jr. will emerge into an elite quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons, the arrow is pointing upwards. The second-year quarterback is nine starts into his NFL career and has displayed flashes of superstardom, but not as consistently as fans hoped.
Zac Robinson admitted during his Wednesday media session that he's pleased with where the second-year quarterback is at in his development, Penix himself isn't satisfied. He knows what he's displayed thus far is something to build off of as he continues to adjust to NFL life and acknowledges that the job is far from finished.
Penix: I've got a lot of work to go. I plan on being in the league a long time. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) October 22, 2025
If you're a true Falcons fan, you can't help but salivate over this answer. You can't help but be encouraged by what the 25-year-old has displayed this season, but it's also evident that he and Robinson are still working through the growing pains, especially in the red zone.
Michael Penix Jr. still has more to accompish for the Falcons
Penix hasn't enjoyed the immediate leap to superstardom like some of the other quarterbacks in his draft class, but he remains a respectable starter. Through six games, it's worth noting that he has more passing yards than Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud, and Caleb Williams—which is no small feat.
Penix is surrounded by a myriad of talent with the Dirty Birds, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to decipher the fact that a world-class talent like Bijan Robinson makes his job easier. After all, an Offensive Player of the Year frontrunner will do that for a young offense.
He responded well to his worst NFL outing in Week 3 with back-to-back strong showings, since the run game being utilized has opened up the playbook to Penix's strengths—but the lack of consistency is still there.
Atlanta's offense is best when Penix and Drake London are operating on the same wavelength—and this wasn't the case in Week 7. Penix's two best starts of the season came when his WR1 surpassed the 100-yard threshold, and that's no coincidence.
On Sunday night, the former Washington star struggled when the 49ers brought pressure, but still had a decent night all things considered. He found Bijan for a 10-yard score early, but the offense sputtered with San Francisco's defense keeping the run game in check, resulting in a 20-10 loss.
The touch and arm talent have quickly showed up, but his injury history and lack of mobility are the only things deterring him from those words. Even then, a Josh Rosen-like flameout isn't in the cards either.
All of the pieces are in place for the Falcons to emerge as one of the brightest offenses in the NFL—which has yet to come to fruition. However, Penix's newfound urgency means his shining moment will come in due time, and potentially in Week 8 against a deflated Dolphins team.