The Atlanta Falcons are no stranger to quarterback controversy.
Just weeks after signing top free agent Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract last offseason, the Falcons shocked the world, drafting Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft.
Cousins was tabbed as the starter with Penix waiting in the wings, and when the Falcons were sitting at 7-7 with three weeks left in the season, the team pulled the trigger on making a change under center.
But just because it happened to Cousins last year, doesn’t mean it’ll happen again this year, despite Penix Jr. being benched in Atlanta’s 30-0 blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers last week.
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“Mike’s our quarterback,” head coach Raheem Morris said. “We got a lot of confidence in Mike, we’re moving forward with Mike, Mike’s the guy until I let you guys know otherwise. Kirk lost his job last year, but we’re not even close to that moment with Mike.
“He had a bad game — we had a bad day as a team, and it’s easy for everybody to pile on…the quarterback is first in line for the wounds. He had a bad game, he’ll bounce back, I’ve got a lot of confidence he’ll bounce back and I can’t wait to watch him practice today.”
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Against the Panthers, Penix Jr. had arguably his worst performance as a pro.
He completed just 18 of 36 passes for 172 yards and two interceptions, and he was benched in the second half in favor of Cousins with the game out of reach.
The 37-year-old four-time Pro Bowler completed 5 of 7 passes for 29 yards and also struggled to move the chains. While Morris benched Penix Jr. in Week 3, he remained adamant the team has full confidence in the 25-year-old signal-caller to rebound against the Washington Commanders in Week 4.
“We drafted this young man for a reason — for his mental toughness, for his physical toughness, and his ability to play the quarterback position,” Morris stated.
