Michael Penix Jr. is 2-4 in his first six NFL starts, though that isn't necessarily a problem. It's rare for a young quarterback to step in and immediately set the league on fire. However, a much more concerning trend has come to light after looking more thoroughly underneath the hood.
Penix's two victories under center came when his opponent only scored seven points, though he and the Falcons have lost anytime someone exceeded that total. Their Week 3 blowout defeat at the hands of the Carolina Panthers was no different, dropping him to 0-4 in such scenarios.
Penix is 0-4 when opponents score more than 7 points 😬 pic.twitter.com/ABKckxqvvp
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 21, 2025
One glaring stat spotlights Michael Penix Jr.'s struggles to lead Falcons
Coming out on top of any game isn't easy and is deserving of respect. Nevertheless, highly drafted/paid players are held to a different standard, making Penix's struggles particularly alarming. He hasn't been able to prevail without significant defensive help, let alone exchanging haymakers like they would've needed to withstand Carolina.
The Panthers shellacked the Falcons on a day Carolina signal-caller Bryce Young threw for 121 scoreless yards (but he did run for a touchdown). Looking at the box score raises the question of how Atlanta was on the wrong end of a 30-0 shutout. That should tell you everything about how poorly Penix and Co. fared in this lopsided divisional clash.
No Panther caught more than three passes or recorded more than 48 receiving yards. Carolina's standout running back Chuba Hubbard was held to 76 scoreless yards on 19 touches. Their defense accounted for one of the team's three end zone trips.
Yet, Young and the Panthers were infinitely more impressive than the Penix-led Falcons. Atlanta's southpaw gunslinger was wildly ineffective against the Panthers, taking the whole squad down with him in an embarrassing showing.
Before being replaced by accomplished veteran backup Kirk Cousins, Penix had arguably his worst performance as a pro. The 2024 No. 8 overall pick went 18-of-36 for 172 yards and two interceptions. Atlanta can't expect to overcome outings like this regularly unless they make stops at an unsustainably high clip.
Committing turnovers, posting 4.8 yards per attempt and taking two sacks yielded Penix a paltry 40.5 passer rating versus Carolina. His sophomore slump has been at the forefront of Atlanta's disappointing start to this season. He's putting way too much pressure on a talented, fast-rising, but young stop unit, possibly opening the door for Cousins to re-enter the mix.