Sunday night’s loss to the Commanders followed an all-too-familiar script for the Falcons. Jump out to a commanding halftime lead, lose that lead in the second half, muster a heroic comeback attempt, and then watch dismal clock management unravel it all in the final moments.
The conversation this morning should surround Penix’s fourth-quarter magic. After establishing nothing offensively in the second half, allowing the Commanders to rattle off 17 unanswered points, the Falcons got the ball back with 4:32 left to play in the fourth quarter.
A first down pass got the Falcons cooking early, putting the ball around midfield, but a very questionable holding call on Kaleb McGary the next play put Penix in a tough position. After a couple of short passes and an incompletion, the Falcons faced a 4th-and-11 with their season on the line. But Penix never blinked, delivering a strike to Drake London on the sideline.
That was a familiar trend for the rookie throughout the entire game. Not everything went his way, and some of that was of his own doing, but Penix’s resilience and competitive nature stood out above all else. Well, that and his arm strength.
A few plays later, the Falcons would find themselves in another obscure position after a snap went over Bijan Robinson’s head on 1st-and-goal. It put the ball at the 26-yard line, with Atlanta needing a touchdown to tie.
Michael Penix Jr. immediately went back to Drake London for 13 yards and then tried to hit him for a touchdown on the very next play. It was a tight window, but a good ball would have tied the game, and Penix knew it. The entire season was down to just one play with a rookie under center making his first ever start on the road, and Penix delivered with a strike only a few quarterbacks on this planet could make, hitting Kyle Pitts in the end zone for the tie.
MICHAEL PENIX TO KYLE PITTS ARE YOU SERIOUS.
Season on the line wow.
pic.twitter.com/bKW7VkwjCH— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) December 30, 2024
The window, the ball placement, the velocity, in those conditions — that’s what sold the Falcons on Michael Penix Jr, and he delivered not once but twice in the biggest moments. Unfortunately, his head coach completely failed him and the entire team for that matter.
Raheem Morris’ miserable clock management cost the Falcons a shot at a touchdown in the first half. He took three timeouts into the locker room while the offense was forced to settle for a field goal right outside the red zone.
It was baffling, but then he turned around and did it much more egregiously to end the game, a decision that likely cost the Falcons their season. Atlanta’s defense forced a quick three-and-out, giving Michael Penix Jr. another opportunity to play hero.
With 40 seconds left and the ball on the 19-yard line, he delivered a strike to Darnell Mooney to start the drive. However, Mooney was unable to get out of bounds.
No problem, right?
Unless the head coach freezes when the lights are the brightest and forgets he has two timeouts in his pocket. The Falcons allowed 20 more seconds to run off the clock, taking the next snap with just 17 seconds left.
Still, Michael Penix Jr. wasn’t done. On the final play of his evening, he managed to escape pressure and fire a pass with defenders draped all over him to Darnell Mooney. It wasn’t complete, but it resulted in a pass interference, setting the Falcons up for a 56-yard field goal with two seconds remaining.
Unfortunately, 56 yards is a little out of Riley Patterson’s range, who is filling in for the injured Younghoe Koo. Raheem Morris called the decision to kick it a “desperation” attempt at the end of the game. However, there would have been no need for a “desperation” attempt with 17 more seconds left on the clock.
It was some of the worst clock mismanagement you’ll ever see at the professional level, especially with a rookie quarterback under center, and it most likely cost the Falcons a shot at the playoffs. It also overshadows just how brilliant Michael Penix Jr. was in the fourth quarter.
The rookie was far from perfect in his second ever start. There were some miscommunications and procedural errors, along with some misfires Penix would love to have back. However, there were also a lot of things on display that cannot be taught.
Penix’s arm strength is up there with anybody on the planet. His processing and anticipation look nothing like a guy making his second career NFL start. However, above all else, his resiliency to bounce back in the face of adversity was remarkable. Penix deserved better from his head coach, who performed far less spectacularly under pressure, despite having coached at the NFL level for two decades.
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Photo: Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire
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