Michael Penix Jr. hasn't been bad in his first full season as a starting quarterback, but he's certainly fallen short of expectations. Despite boasting an impressive arsenal of weapons, the second-year signal-caller has failed to generate any sort of consistency since replacing Kirk Cousins as the QB1.
The Atlanta Falcons controversially selected Penix eighth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft just a month after signing Cousins to a four-year $180 million free agent contract. Since replacing the veteran as the starter late last season, flashes have been there, but not as frequently as some fans hoped.
The Dirty Birds are sitting at 3-6 and are amid a four-game losing streak, and their 31-25 overtime loss in Week 10 saw Penix and the Falcons struggle to keep pace with the Indianapolis Colts' offense. The defeat also made it clear that Raheem Morris and his coaching staff is stunting his development.
And if the offense keeps underperforming (or performing inconsistently), it'll only be a matter of time before Penix gets Morris and OC Zac Robinson fired.
Michael Penix Jr.'s inconsistencies are an indictment on Raheem Morris
To add insult to injury, the 25-year-old has been the one damper on one of the best quarterback drafts in NFL history. Jayden Daniels won Offensive Rookie of the Year, Drake Maye is an MVP candidate, and Bo Nix and Caleb Williams look primed to lead their teams to the playoffs in 2025.
Even J.J. McCarthy has looked like he's turned a corner since returning from injury. Robinson and Morris have surrounded their franchise QB with the weapons he needs to thrive, so there's no reason for this offense to be one of six teams averaging less than 20 points per game on the season.
Meanwhile, the Washington standout has thrown just nine touchdowns in eight starts this season and is ranked 25th in the league in passer rating—behind quarterbacks like Justin Fields, Spencer Rattler, Tua Tagovailoa, and Kyler Murray. That is some miserable company for a young quarterback to be in.
Yes, the Falcons are a run-heavy offense, as most teams would be if they had a back as talented as Bijan Robinson. But Penix is a phenomenal play-action quarterback, yet none of those plays are being dialed up for him. How do you not cater your offense to the obvious strengths of your young QB?
Unfortunately, Robinson doesn't know how to correctly utilize the talent within his offense and seems to believe there are no problems. Yet this team failed to add any help for the Heisman Trophy runner-up before the trade deadline despite Darnell Mooney looking borderline unplayable as of late.
Morris has refused to take accountability all season long, and now the Dirty Birds are going to waste another season of Penix's rookie contract. If changes aren't made to either the offensive scheme or the offensive staff, the heat on both the quarterback and head coach will grow if the losing continues.