Michael Penix Jr.
Playoff Run?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcons are 2-2 and had a bye week in Week 5.
Their next game is a Monday Night Football Game at home against Buffalo on October 13th. The Falcons have not made the playoffs in the last seven years. The question is are they good enough to end that streak?
“It was great to get a win going into the bye week,” tight end Kyle Pitts said. “Week 5 byes aren’t the best. But it’s all good, going into it with a win. We just hope that the continuity will stay high. We’ll definitely link together as offense during this (bye week). Just go to next week and get ready for prime time.”
Atlanta is in their second season under head coach Raheem Morris. Last year they were 8-9. As you know, they paid a lot of money to free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins going into the 2024 season. He signed a four-year $180 million contract, with $100 million guaranteed.
After making this move, they surprised the football world by drafting Michael Penix with the 8th pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Cousins started the season hot and led the Falcons to 6-3 to start the season.
Then he started playing worse during their losing streak. He led the league with 16 interceptions and he was tied for the league lead in fumbles. That led to Cousins getting benched after Week 15.
I think a quarterback controversy might be brewing this season. Penix has been the starter but he played poorly in a 30-0 Week 3 loss at Carolina. Penix was benched for Cousins in the fourth quarter of that game.
Penix also played poorly in the Week 2 win at Minnesota, 22-6. He passed for 135 yards with 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. I believe if he plays poorly against the Bills Penix will be benched.
Atlanta has done some self-scouting during the bye week.
“Getting those guys going and trying to find ways and different things that we can get going,” Morris said. “All of those guys up front being in different positions and trying to get those guys aligned at different things so we could dictate terms a little bit better.”
The Falcons are also working on their run defense ahead of their Week 6 matchup with Buffalo. The Bills have Josh Allen and James Cook to deal with. Cook is ranked second in the league in rushing with 450 yards and 5 TD’s.
The Falcons gave up 147 yards and 6.7 yards per carry in their last outing against Washington. Running back Chris Rodriquez got loose for a 48-yard gain.
“Yeah, so really the one big run, the 48-yarder, is the one that can really crush it,” Morris said. “You can never say ‘except for’ in this game. But, if you can get rid of that run, you don’t feel terrible about it, especially with a quarterback run game. … Well, (that) can really tilt that thing.”
The Falcons have to play the AFC East and NFC West this season. Buffalo is the only good AFC East team so they should be favored against the Jets, Patriots and Dolphins.
The Cardinals are the worst team in the NFC East. The Rams are one of the best teams in the league. The games against San Francisco and Seattle could go either way.
Tampa Bay is the best team in the division and the next game against them will be on the road. I don’t think the Falcons will make the playoffs this season.
Moving On
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcons made waves in early 2024 by signing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a big four-year, $180 million deal.
But less than a year later, the team is already moving on. In a move that surprised many, Atlanta drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the NFL Draft.
At the time, Penix was seen as a long-term project, but with their playoff hopes slipping away, the Falcons decided to speed up his development.
This bold decision not only shifts the team’s short-term game plan but also puts a spotlight on Cousins’ uncertain future.
Cousins started the season strong, but things went downhill fast over the last month. During a 1-4 stretch, he threw just one touchdown compared to nine interceptions and was sacked 11 times.
Now sitting at 7-7, Atlanta is still technically in the NFC South playoff race, but Cousins’ struggles left them little choice but to bench him.
The move shows the team no longer trusts him to lead—not just for the rest of this season, but likely beyond.
Financially, Cousins’ contract comes with challenges, but Atlanta has some options. He’s guaranteed $27.5 million in 2025, with another $10 million guaranteed in 2026 if he’s still on the roster.
The Falcons could release him after the season as a post-June 1 cut, which would result in a $40 million dead-cap hit. While that’s a hefty number, it would clear future obligations in 2025 and 2026.
Trading him is another option, though it’s trickier. They could save up to $27.5 million with a post-June 1 trade, but his no-trade clause and declining performance make this scenario harder to pull off.
From the beginning, it was clear Cousins might not be a long-term solution. Falcons GM Terry Fontenot turned heads by drafting Penix just weeks after signing Cousins, signaling the team was already planning for the future.
Fontenot defended the move, calling it a smart way to secure a franchise quarterback down the line. But the decision to bench Cousins so soon shows they never fully believed he could be the answer.
Unless Penix falters or the team makes a deep playoff run, it seems likely Cousins’ time in Atlanta is done.
His recent struggles, combined with the team’s pivot to Penix, highlight both his decline and the Falcons’ urgency to develop their rookie QB.
While Cousins could technically stay on as an expensive backup in 2025, that seems unlikely given the team’s commitment to moving forward with Penix.
Starting Penix now is a gamble, but one the Falcons felt they had to take. With the playoffs still within reach, they’re hoping the rookie can give their offense a spark.
Head coach Raheem Morris acknowledged the stakes, saying they didn’t expect to have such a high draft pick again, making Penix a key part of their future plans.
As for Cousins, his next move is up in the air. Teams like the Jets, Raiders, Titans, or even the 49ers and Rams could potentially be interested, especially with coaches like Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay who have ties to Cousins from earlier in his career. Still, his declining play and no-trade clause complicate things.
At the end of the day, the Falcons’ switch from Cousins to Penix reflects a bigger strategy. They’re looking ahead to the future while trying to salvage what they can this season.
Whether this gamble pays off right away or takes time, it’s clear Atlanta is entering a new chapter at quarterback.
Grounded Draft?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2024 NFL Draft is over now. Let’s take a look at the Atlanta Falcons.
Draft Picks:
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. (#8)
Clemson DT Ruke Orhorhoro (#35)
Washington OLB Bralen Trice (#74)
Oregon DE Brandon Dorlus (#109)
Notre Dame LB JD Bertrand (#143)
Alabama RB Jase McClellan (#186)
Illinois WR Casey Washington (#187)
Georgia DL Zion Logue (#197)
You may have heard by now that Atlanta drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick.
He was outstanding last season at Washington. He led the Huskies to an undefeated season and a National Championship game appearance. He was the NCAA passing yards leader with 4,903 yards, 36 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and he completed 65.4% of his passes.
He won the Maxwell Award (2023), First-team All-American (2023) and AP Comeback Player of the Year (2022).
The biggest problem is that the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed. It does not make any sense to draft another quarterback that high with the amount of money they invested in Cousins.
They appear to want to win now so they should have drafted a complementary piece that can help the team now. The biggest need was a pass rusher and Dallas Turner (Alabama) was available.
Penix has an injury history that some teams were nervous about. He tore his ACL in back-to-back seasons when he was at Indiana. I think he’s a great player but he will sit behind Cousins for at least two seasons.
“I love winning, and I’m a team guy,” Penix said during his introductory press conference. “That’s what I’m going to be in the locker room.”
“Kirk is an amazing guy. I actually watched the ‘Quarterback’ series with him. Seeing that he’s a man of faith, just like me, and he’s all about family – I really enjoyed that, to get a feel of what kind of guy he is. I’m super blessed to be in the room with him and to be able to work with him and learn from him and support him as he continues on his career.”
Orhorhoro was a reach in the second round. In his last two years at Clemson he had 16 tackles for loss and 9 sacks.
He’s an interior defensive lineman so he doesn’t add much to the pass rush. He was Third-team All-ACC last season. They should have picked a corner back or defensive end here.
Trice might help in the second level. In 2023 he had 49 total tackles, 11.5 TFL and 7 sacks.
Dorlus played at Oregon all 5 years. He started as a defensive tackle and finally made the switch to defensive end last season. He only had 6.5 TFL and 5 sacks in 2023.
Bertrand is interesting because he had a breakout season in 2021 and statically got worse after that. In 2021 he had 102 total tackles. He had 82 tackles in 2022 and 76 in 2023. He played in every game each season so I’m not sure what the issue is.
McClellan and Washington add depth at the skill positions.
Logue will help stop the run but he’s not a pass rusher. He has 1.5 sacks in his college career, which is five seasons.
Atlanta also needed a corner back and they did not draft one. They will need to address that in the undrafted free agent pool. They still have the same question marks on defense after the draft.
Draft grade: C-
