The deadline shows that early season losses do not rule a team out of the postseason.
That’s part of the reason the Atlanta Falcons were smiling when fans grabbed their pitchforks immediately after the team lost its first two games of the year. Last Thursday’s win at Green Bay coupled with the return of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. from injury, Atlanta can get back into the mix with a win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday.
The Falcons (1-2) will have 11 days off after a 35-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers that sent Lambeau Field into a frenzy of boos. After third-stringer Cooper Rush made a professional quarterback’s first two starts look as bad as you can get, Penix returned from a 10-month absence to throw for 256 yards and a touchdown in the convincing win.
The oft-injured Penix had and still has his share of doubters. The 26-year-old’s injury history does not bode well for an extended career. However, the southpaw knows there’s a simple way to endear yourself to fans – keep winning.
“It’s always fun when you win,” Penix said. “But it’s also a blessing to be able to be out there with the guys. I don’t take anything for granted. I’m very grateful to all the people who helped me get out there and play good football with my teammates.”
The pieces around Penix are falling into place ahead of Monday night’s contest against New Orleans. The Falcons have the league’s best linebacker in Bijan Robinson, talented pass catchers in Drake London and Kyle Pitts, and a new but capable defense.
In short, Atlanta is a workhorse away from making a push for its first postseason appearance in nine seasons. Despite still being in the early stages of Penix’s third year, Monday is shaping up to be one of the most important games of his young tenure.
“It’s going to be really high. It’s going to be great. It’s going to be awesome,” Penix said Monday night. “We’re all going to embrace the challenge. We’re going to go out there and race to find a way to win and that’s what it’s all about. It’s going to be rough for sure.”
First-year head coach Kevin Stefanski will be looking for the first set of back-to-back wins in Atlanta as he looks to build momentum from a game nearly two weeks ago.
“There’s things we can build on and there’s a lot we can clean up on the coaching side of it. And we will,” Stefanski said. “But I think when you play that game, you have a hard time defending. When you can handle the ball successfully, it opens things up in the passing game. If they want to pick up the passing game, it opens up lanes for the running game. A big part of our offense is marrying the pass run and making sure they feed off each other.”
As for the quarterback’s attitude toward the hated rivalry, Penix earned some early brownie points ahead of his first career meeting with New Orleans.
“It’s a beautiful dome,” said Penix Saints’ Caesars Superdome. “That’s probably the only nice thing I can say about it.”