The burning question on everyone's mind is whether or not the Atlanta Falcons found a franchise quarterback in Michael Penix Jr., and if they've seen enough to warrant passing on a talented 2027 QB class. The early returns have been promising, but they also need to be sustained going forward.
Through four starts with a healthy Penix this season, the Falcons are 2-2 and are averaging 31.5 points per game. We've seen how he's unlocked the offense as his arm talent as finally shining through, and his Year 3 leap is starting to catch the eye of a franchise legend in Roddy White.
Over the summer, White challenged the former top-10 pick to take a step toward being Atlanta's long-term future under center, and it's safe to say he's responded. And while appearing on the Up and Adams Show with Kay Adams this week, he gave Penix credit and said he could be the franchise QB.
"I think he could be our franchise quarterback 100%," White said. "Just little certain things we gotta just tweak... I think he's in a good spot right now. There's a lot of really good signs. Completion percentage is up there and he's doing well in that category, so as long as he ain't turning over the ball, I'm happy with the situation."
When Adams pressed at the end, he admitted he thinks he is the Falcons' franchise quarterback. But that came with a caveat, as he did say there are things that could be tweaked and can continue to improve, further elaborating in regards to the recent struggles we've seen from him against the blitz.
The Atlanta Falcons need to play up-tempo more often to remedy Michael Penix Jr.'s struggles against the blitz
Since he lacks mobility, Michael Penix Jr. has been one of the worst quarterbacks in football when pressured. And while the offensive line isn't doing him any favors by picking up the blitz, teams are starting to figure out that sending extra pass-rushers is the best way to make him uncomfortable.
According to Sharp Analytics, the 26-year-old is completing just 31% of his passes when pressured, and the only qualified quarterback with a lower EPA per play (per SumerSports) than Penix when facing pressure is undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels. It got so bad in Week 6 that the Bears' pressure got home 22 times.
Thankfully, White offered a solution that should only help him in his quest to become a franchise QB: the Dirty Birds should play up-tempo more frequently. In the 31-23 loss last Sunday, the Falcons found themselves in a 31-7 hole, but rallied back in the fourth quarter because they sped things up.
"In certain situations like last week, we got off to such a terrible start, and didn't get really acclimated. And then third, fourth quarter we sped up the tempo of him getting in and out of the huddle, and then we had to go fast. I think we need to implement that sort of style of play sometimes in the middle of drives where we go up tempo and give him an opportunity to just line up, go through a progression and get the ball out, and just move the speed up and alleviate a lot of the pass rush."
While the success came against the Bears' backup defense that was already shorthanded on the defensive line, but Atlanta was getting Penix in and out of the huddle quicker than normal, which made it easier for him go through a progression and get the football out quickly--hence the ability to avoid whatever blitz was being dialed up or whatever pressure got home.
So against a Raheem Morris-led 49ers team that is going to dial up a lot of pressure (even without Nick Bosa), it would behoove Tommy Rees to heed the four-time Pro Bowler's advice and cater this Falcons' gameplan through short dump-offs to Kyle Pitts, Zachariah Branch, and Bijan Robinson.
Atlanta's goal should be to help Michael Penix Jr. get more used to pressure since more blitzes will come going forward, and Roddy White knows that if he has more time, he'll grow more composed against the blitz, solving this issue, while better days will follow for both Penix and the offense.
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