Falcons HC addresses Michael Penix Jr.'s poor play vs. Panthers

As Marc Raimondi noted for ESPN, the Atlanta Falcons fired receivers coach Ike Hilliard and decided to move offensive coordinator Zac Robinson from the coaching box down to the sideline less than 24 hours after Falcons head coach Raheem Morris benched starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the fourth quarter of this past Sunday's 30-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

While speaking with reporters on Monday, Morris shared some worrisome comments regarding what went wrong for Penix at Carolina's Bank of America Stadium. 

Michael Penix Jr. was "off" versus Panthers

"He was off," Morris said about Penix, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "I don’t want to take away the fact that he did not play well. But there are definitely ways to get him going. He heals himself. He has high standards for himself. So [Sunday], he definitely got down on himself. [Sunday], he was definitely not his normal, happy, competitive self. Got a little down on himself, got a little upset. And there’s different ways that we can help him bring him back, and there’s other people on our team that can bring him back."

A 2024 first-round draft pick, Penix made just three starts as a rookie after veteran Kirk Cousins was benched due to poor play in December of last year. According to Pro Football Reference, Penix ended Week 3 of the ongoing season ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 71.3 passer rating and 29th with a 58.6 percent completion percentage. 

More importantly, he lost two of three starts to open the campaign. 

Are Falcons confident Michael Penix Jr. will bounce back? 

"He’s a big-time competitor," Morris said about Penix. "So, I’m actually looking forward to it. You never want to say you’re happy it happened, but I can’t wait to see the response. I’m actually more encouraged with Michael Penix’s behavior [Monday] and his movement [Monday] for this franchise and for our team than ever. I can’t wait until Wednesday."

There's no indication the Falcons are close to trading Cousins, and it's also no secret that he wants to be a starter. Morris may not like it, but whispers about Atlanta going back to Cousins as its full-time QB1 will grow louder if Penix continues to struggle as the 37-year-old remains on the roster. 

"Confidence is high," Morris added about Penix. "Confidence is very high with this man. He’s our guy, man, and you’re going to have these games. You don’t want to have them a lot, but you’re going to have them. … I’ve got a lot of confidence that he’s going to bounce back and be ready to deal. I’ve seen him have a bad practice. That’s the first time we’ve seen him have a bad game."

Penix and Co. will try to put Week 3 out of their memories as they prepare for this coming Sunday's home game against the 2-1 Washington Commanders. As of Tuesday morning, ESPN BET had the 1-2 Falcons as 2.5-point home underdogs for that contest.