Despite a disappointing season, the Atlanta Falcons have found hope in the form of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. His late-season performances showcased his talent and promise, leaving fans optimistic about the future.
London stood at his locker in the bowels of Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., roughly 45 minutes removed from Atlanta's season-defining, playoff-costing 30-24 overtime loss to the Washington Commanders. Yet the 23-year-old London, in a moment with his emotions so pure, so fragile, saw the silver lining. Michael Penix Jr. But in Atlanta, hope can be dangerous. The Falcons have endured seven consecutive seasons with a losing record and no playoff appearances.
They haven't won the NFC South in eight years. After a 6-3 start, they lost six of their final eight games with their only two wins coming against the Raiders (4-13) and the Giants (3-14). Penix ran and juked his way into a career-high 170 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons' season finale against the Carolina Panthers, Penix couldn't help himself. 'I hand the ball off, and I got to carry out my fake. Sometimes, I want to peek to see what he doing,' Penix said. 'So, it's like, man, he's a special player.' After the game, Penix approached Robinson, telling him the craziness of some of the moves he does, such as making three consecutive jump cuts on the same leg. 'He made some cuts like, man, I don't think my knees can handle it,' Penix said. 'I'm like, I couldn't do that.' (1,887). He scored 14 rushing touchdowns, which is tied with Jamal Anderson (1998) for the second-most in a single season in 'Bijan is special,' Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. 'The human, the football player, the character -- whatever you ask him to do, he's going to be able to go out there and do. He's a special human. And for me to say that I expected that (production), I don't know. He's as special as you get.' Penix, as he admitted, probably couldn't do some of the things Robinson does. Few can. But it doesn't mean he lacks special traits of his own. 'Absolute poise. He's got a freaking rocket, and he can sling the ball,' London said. 'He's got that dog in him. He's somebody who's a winner, and I think you see that just right off rip.' The Falcons went 1-2 in Penix's starts, with both of their losses coming in overtime -- after Penix led game-tying scores in the closing minutes. As a starter, the 24-year-old went 58-for-100 passing for 737 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions and one rushing score. He threw for 312 yards and scored three times against Carolina to close the regular season. Atlanta didn't intend on playing Penix this season. The plan, Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot said, centered around keeping Penix as the backup -- and long-time successor -- to veteran starter Kirk Cousins, who was benched before Week 16 after throwing one touchdown to just nine interceptions in his final five starts. Yet Penix, as teammates say he's been from the moment he first stepped foot in the locker room for rookie minicamp in May, was unfazed. 'The light at the end of the tunnel for us ... is the quarterback,' Morris said. 'The organization has a quarterback that is certainly bright, that is certainly our future, that certainly can go out and make any single play and play in any single game that you can play in. Michael Penix is certainly outstanding. 'He's certainly one of the guys that's going to play in this league and absolutely dominate for as long as we allow him.' It only helps to surround him with a supporting cast full of young, talented faces -- some of whom, like Robinson and London, have already established themselves as franchise pillars. In the waning seconds of the first half of Atlanta's loss to Carolina, Penix took an endzone shot to London, who caught the pass but was knocked out of bounds. Penix said he trusted the 6'4'', 215-pound London, so he threw it again. London caught it for a touchdown to give the Falcons the lead heading into the locker room. When he and Penix arrived, they'd completed their 10th quarter of action together. Perhaps lost in the buzz of a playoff push and shiny new quarterback is that Penix didn't get many reps with his starting receivers during the season. He was the scout team quarterback, giving representative looks to the defense while tossing passes to practice squad wideouts. Everything the Falcons accomplished offensively over the final three weeks -- 27 points per game when subtracting defensive scores, 401 yards per game and the steady ascent of Penix -- came with all the chemistry that can be developed in the span of three-plus weeks. Morris said he doesn't regret not starting Penix sooner. But timing aside, Penix adapted to the situation admirably. And, if nothing else, gave the Falcons something to dream about after an offseason spent finetuning chemistry. 'Everybody sees the talent we have,' Robinson said. 'But I feel with us now, we got to take these things one day at a time and really understand what we have, continue to gel together and just continue to become closer as a team.' The Falcons didn't break apart in their locker room as the season spirale
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