Michael Penix Jr. had a perfect setup from the Falcons in his starting debut

ATLANTA – So the Michael Penix Jr. era started with a bang.

For all the talk we’ve heard from Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris about “the plan” for his quarterback position – sorry, Kirk Cousins - this was an ideal plan to take the covers off the rookie.

Penix made his debut at Mercedes-Benz Stadium helped by a defense that produced two pick-six touchdowns. He was supported by a rushing attack led by Bijan Robinson (22 carries, 94 yards, 2 touchdowns). And the same O-line that ripped holes in the running game provided Secret Service protection for Penix. No sacks and only two hits. Talk about taking the pressure off.

And if you’re planning a grand opening, why not get the New York Giants?

This battered and struggling operation was primed to suffer its tenth straight defeat. And they fit right in.

NFL STATISTICS CENTER: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Falcons 34, Giants 7.

That’s a plan. And some great visuals for the new narrative of these Falcons (8-7) clinging to their final playoff hopes.

Go ahead, Penix. Bow.

“The plan came a little early, but the boy was ready,” trumpeted the energetic Morris afterwards.

Don’t worry about the statistics. Morris also loves to tell us, as he did again on Sunday, that “stats are for losers.”

Penix threw for 202 yards and posted a fairly average efficiency rating of 73.4. He’s still waiting for his first NFL touchdown pass. And against the backdrop of an NFL-high 16 interceptions that cost Cousins his job, Penix had one interception that put his team out of scoring position. But somehow, and Morris would certainly agree, the rookie quarterback was so much better than that set of numbers.

“He was as relaxed as can be,” Robinson said. “Especially in moments when we had to bring him to life.”

There were several examples of this, including a dime on a third-and-six late in the second quarter when Penix caught Darnell Mooney up the middle. He waited patiently before throwing a dart that reached 19 yards. Three plays later, Robinson broke a tackle and leaped wide left for a 4-yard TD run.

That capped an 86-yard drive that may have failed earlier when Penix tried to elude a defender who appeared to have him pinned for a second-down sack. At the last moment, an off-balance Penix threw a throw toward Drake London that had no chance of completing but negated any negative sack yards. Look, it doesn’t show up in the stats, but it was a heads-up game that ultimately resulted in points.

“I mean, I’ve played a lot of football, I’ve been in a lot of situations,” said the 24-year-old Penix, who led the nation in passing last season and led Washington to the national championship game. “I thought I should have broken that tackle; I should have gotten out of there. He had me. He was about to attack me. I saw Drake. I knew I could throw it at his feet. I did that.

Morris had his own way of describing such subtle instincts that can make a big difference.

“These are grown men, professional plays that you like to see from your young quarterback,” Morris said.

In fact, the mishaps were minimal, as the Falcons converted on eight of 14 third downs (57.1%) and, in addition to the 86-yard drive, had two methodical 69-yard scoring marches that spanned 12 and 16 plays.

It gets better with repetition and time. This claim comes straight from Penix, who also complained that London missed a shot due to a broken fade pattern when the score was 6-4.

“He’s a big receiver,” Penix said. “I just know I have to get the ball higher and he’s going to make that play.”

On the other hand, there was no objection to Penix’s scoring from Mooney, who had a team-high 82 yards on five receptions. Mooney said that in addition to the freshman’s ability to control the flow of the game, he was particularly impressed with the ball placement on throws. It’s a stark difference from initial impressions after the Falcons drafted Penix with the eighth pick in the first round.

“When he got here he was super hot,” Mooney said, referring to the hot speed on the football. “Everyone dropped the ball everywhere. Now he’s just chilling. He has that certain something.

No, it wasn’t perfect. If there’s one throw Penix wanted back, it was the throw to tight end Kyle Pitts just before halftime. The Falcons found themselves at the Giants’ 7-yard line after the timeout expired with 16 seconds on the clock. Penix fired a throw that bobbed into Pitts, and Cor’Dale Flott caught the pop-up interception at the goal line.

On the whole, it turned out to be a harmless choice. The Falcons turned two Drew Lock interceptions into touchdowns, with running back Jessie Bates III running the first 55 yards and then Matthew Judon sprinting 27 yards to score after Zach Harrison deflected the football. His interception did no such damage to Penix, but is still a valuable lesson. Next time, he promised, he would be more aware of the situation. He claimed that instead of forcing the throw, he could have settled for an incompletion that would have triggered a short field goal attempt.

It’s all in the details. Morris knows. The coach wouldn’t pick a favorite play per se from his rookie quarterback’s debut. But he knew what impressed him. It was all about connecting football spirits.

“I just enjoyed that when he left the field, he was able to put things into words when they went wrong,” said Morris, aided by his first game manager, coordinator Zac Robinson. “And being able to communicate these things to us very clearly. This is a sign of adulthood, a different form of maturity.”

The Falcons need to keep the mojo going. It assumes that the tests will become tougher. Penix will next face presumptive NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels in a primetime matchup with the Washington Commanders. Of course there is little room for error.

With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday evening, the Falcons are back at the top of the NFC South for the time being. But they must win their last two games or risk relinquishing control of the division again.

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Michael Penix Jr. had a perfect setup from the Falcons in his starting debut

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