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Michael Penix Jr. is going to have to figure out how to beat the Carolina Panthers if he is going to fully live up to expectations during his career.
The Atlanta Falcons quarterback finished his rookie year during the 2024 season with a loss to the Panthers in the final game, which put him in position to earn some revenge Sunday.
He decidedly did not earn that revenge.
Atlanta benched him in the fourth quarter of the 30-0 loss while facing a 27-0 deficit and turned to Kirk Cousins. While the benching was likely about the deficit and lack of a comeback chance than anything else, it was still a notable development after Penix played so poorly.
In all, he went 18-of-36 for 172 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown by Chau Smith-Wade.
The performance drew plenty of response from social media:
Both teams are now 1-2 on the campaign, but it was an ugly result for a Falcons team with playoff aspirations in 2025. After all, the Panthers haven’t enjoyed a winning season since 2017 and were still winless at the start of the NFC South showdown.
What’s more, Atlanta’s next three games come against the Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, so things will be decidedly more difficult in the immediate future.Â
Carolina’s defense was dialed in from the start and flummoxed the second-year quarterback until the game was well in hand. The stat line was one thing, but the particularly poor throws proved quite costly.
He threw two interceptions in the third quarter alone as Atlanta was in comeback mode, the first of which went for a pick-six and the second of which came deep in Falcons’ territory.
Smith-Wade’s pick-six extended the lead to three scores, and Mike Jackson’s interception set up another touchdown for the Panthers. The only remaining drama in the fourth quarter was whether the Falcons would score a single point in the inevitable defeat.
They did not, even after inserting Cousins into the contest.
Penix struggled throughout the game, but he didn’t get much help from his teammates either. Kicker Parker Romo missed field goals on two of the team’s first three possessions, and Bijan Robinson didn’t get many opportunities to run since the Falcons were throwing so much in the second half because of the deficit.
It was an afternoon to forget for the entire Falcons team, and now the quarterback position will be something of a storyline after Cousins received some playing time in the loss.