FLOWERY BRANCH — Michael Penix Jr. was slated for Falcons’ quarterback-of-the-future duty.
After a rapid decline in play by Kirk Cousins, the future is now.
Penix, who was selected with the eighth overall pick in the NFL draft this year in a stunning move to some, is slated to make his first NFL start when the Falcons (7-7) host the lowly New York Giants (2-12) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Falcons are thrusting the rookie into the middle of a playoff race after he worked with the scout team all season and got some mop-up duty in only two games.
It’s a desperate move.
Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy was perplexed by the major gamble.
“I’m surprised that in the middle of a playoff chase they’re turning to a rookie QB who hasn’t played,” Dungy wrote on social media.
Dungy, who’s now an NBC analyst, then noted that his 1999 Tampa Bay team had to turn to rookie quarterback Shaun King because of injury. The Bucs went on to win five of six games and reach the NFC Championship game. Dungy failed to note that he had four future Hall of Famers on defense in Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Ronde Barber.
The Falcons’ selection of Penix happened after they recently had signed Cousins, the top free agent on the market, to a four-year deal worth up to $180 million.
But after Cousins turned into a turnover machine this season, the Falcons — in a collaborative fashion that involved owner Arthur Blank — decided to hand the ball to Penix.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris got defensive when asked a reasonable question about who made the final decision to switch to the rookie.
“When you start talking like that, you might as well just walk out of the building and hand over your head coach’s hat and your general manager’s hat because these things have to be made together,” Morris said. “It’s a collaborative idea. It’s a collaborative effort at all times, and that really doesn’t matter in this building.”
So, if it works, everyone can take the credit. If it doesn’t, the Falcons will be at home for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
Penix was part of a historic draft class. He was the fourth quarterback taken behind Caleb Williams (Bears, first overall), Jayden Daniels (Commanders, second) and Drake Maye (Patriots, third). Also, J.J. McCarthy was taken 10th by the Vikings, and Bo Nix was selected 12th by the Broncos.
The last time that six quarterbacks were selected in the first round was in 1983, when Pro Football Hall of Famers John Elway (first overall), Jim Kelly (14th) and Dan Marino (27th) were selected. Todd Blackledge (seventh), Tony Eason (15th) and Ken O’Brien (24th) also were taken in the first round.
Penix has been sitting while Williams (14 games, 4-10 record), Daniels (14, 9-5), Maye (9, 2-7) and Nix (14, 9-5) have started a cumulative 51 games. Daniels and Nix are in the playoff race, while Williams and Maye’s teams have been eliminated.
Penix mostly has watched while four of the others were playing. J.J. McCarthy, who was drafted 10th by Minnesota, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the exhibition season.
“I mean, it’s not tough,” Penix said. “... I’m happy for them. We’re in different positions.”
Penix tried to learn as much as he could from Cousins, who had the Falcons out to a 6-3 record. Then they lost four games in a row and control of the NFC South division. He had eight interceptions and no touchdown passes during the losing streak.
He took a pounding against the Saints on Nov. 10. He appeared on the injury report for one day, Nov. 14, with a shoulder injury. The Falcons insist he’s healthy, and Cousins said he didn’t have an injury.
However, during the open portion of practice Thursday, the velocity of the passes from Penix and practice-squad quarterback Nate Peterman, were much stronger than Cousins’ passes.
After a 15-9 win Monday over the Raiders, in which Cousins was limited to 17 pass attempts, the “Falcons Collaborative” elect to turn to Penix.
“You know, obviously we brought in Kirk who was a vet, and I looked at that as an opportunity to learn, opportunity to grow in each and every day,” Penix said. “Just soak in the process so that whenever my time does come, I’ll be ready. So, I wouldn’t look at it as challenging.”
Daniels and Nix are battling it out for the offensive rookie-of-the-year award. Williams and Maye are on rebuilding teams.
“I was super excited for those guys,” Penix said. “I know a lot of those guys through either playing with them or seeing Jayden at the (scouting) combine and training with him. So, I’m just super excited for them. We’re not in the same position. I didn’t look at it in a bad way.”
The last time the Falcons handed the team to a rookie quarterback — Desmond Ridder — in 2022, the veteran quarterback, Marcus Mariota, bolted. Cousins is sticking around for at least the rest of the season, and that should help Penix.
“I look up to Kirk,” Penix said. “To be honest, Kirk couldn’t do no wrong in my eyes. It was like dang, when I saw him in camp and leading all the way up through the season, it was like he’s special. He’s doing it at this age. He’s done a great job.”
But Cousins appeared to lose the steam on his passes, and he was coming back from Achilles surgery. Cousins attributed his rash of turnovers to decision-making and not physical ailments.
Penix apparently was paying attention in the quarterback classroom. He picked up a lot of habits from Cousins.
“Just the way that he speaks to the team in meetings and on the field, just the command that he has of the offense,” Penix said. “Getting things the way he wants it so that he can play fast. Just the things he says in the huddle. I was in the huddle in walk-through (on Wednesday), and I remembered some of the stuff he did. I was saying it the way that he said it.”
Penix, who played at Indiana and Washington, helped guide the latter to the college national championship game earlier this year.
“Talking about getting through his progressions and making a pass to the fifth read — a fifth read, you don’t see that a lot,” Penix marveled about Cousins. “Scoring touchdowns and doing stuff like that. How is he processing the game so quickly to get to that fifth read? To make that play. I was just trying to learn stuff like that.”
Penix also noted that Cousins would cancel out some routes based on his pre-read of the coverages.
“I feel like I learned a lot of that, and I’m ready to showcase it,” Penix said.
The Falcons are one game behind the Buccaneers with three to play. They essentially need to win-out while the Bucs lose at least one game for the Falcons to reach the playoffs as the NFC South champs because they have beaten the Bucs twice and hold the tiebreaker.
If the Bucs win out, the Falcons will be in the wild-card race, mainly battling Washington, Seattle and Arizona.
That is a highly pressurized position for the savviest of veteran quarterbacks, let alone a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start.
“That’s all I can focus on right now is what we’ve got in front of us and that’s the Giants,” Penix said. “Trying to make sure that I’m prepared to make sure we do whatever it takes to win this football game. We’ll take it one step at a time.”
If the Falcons win, that would set up a showdown with Daniels and the Commanders in prime time Dec. 29 on “Sunday Night Football.”
“I’m not looking too far ahead,” Penix said. “As long as we execute and do what we have to do, we’ll come out with a win and the playoffs that something that comes with it.”
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