This wasn’t how Raheem Morris envisioned getting to eight wins, the Falcons’ most in a season since 2017, but he’ll take it. He’ll also take an NFC South division title, something toward which they took a major step with Sunday’s 34-7 win over the Giants at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Morris didn’t want to play Michael Penix this early in the rookie’s career, but as Pro Football Post suggested on Tuesday morning, the Falcons (8-7) had everything to gain by launching the rookie’s career in Week 16. And Penix looked like a poised veteran in his NFL debut, adding a different dimension to the loaded Atlanta offense in a come-from-behind win. He completed 18 of 27 attempts for 202 yards with no touchdowns and only one turnover – a freak interception that bounced off the hands of Kyle Pitts.
Penix also got plenty of help from Bijan Robinson, who had 94 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, and the Atlanta defense. The Falcons posted three takeaways and returned two interceptions for touchdown, including a 55-yard sprint by Jessie Bates that gave Atlanta its first lead, 10-7, midway through the second quarter. Matthew Judon also scored for the Falcons early in the second half.
The rookie leaned on his extensive college experience – he played six seasons, four at Indiana and two at Washington, leading the Huskies to a berth in the national championship – to consistently move the chains on Sunday.
“I trust my arm because of the reps that I have,” said Penix, who took the blame for Atlanta’s clock-management hiccups at the end of the first half. “I see it every day in practice. I’m making those throws and those guys are making those plays.”
Penix made a play at Costco, sampling the store’s underrated pizza on Tuesday night when the Falcons told him he’d make his NFL debut, replacing Kirk Cousins in the lineup. But the rookie said he wouldn’t return to the wholesale retailer to celebrate his first win.
“Hopefully, it’ll be something fancier but Costco is great,” Penix said after the game. “Costco needs to hit me up.”
Win in hand, the Falcons will watch from their living rooms whether Tampa Bay (8-6) can keep pace against Dallas on Sunday night. The pressure is now on the Buccaneers because Atlanta has two head-to-head wins and owns any tiebreaker in the NFC South race. The Falcons’ win also sets up a game with huge playoff implications next week at Washington (10-5), which came from behind to end the Eagles’ 10-game winning streak on Sunday.
The Giants (2-13) have now lost a franchise-record 10 consecutive games.
For more information on the Falcons and Giants, visit the Atlanta and N.Y. Giants team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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