The Atlanta Falcons were mocked relentlessly for their quarterback competition over the offseason, but Michael Penix Jr. has made his critics look foolish since returning from ACL surgery. The third-year signal-caller had another solid outing in Sunday's 29-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Penix went 25/34 for 213 passing yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 118.9. On a day when Bijan Robinson failed to find much running room, the Falcons leaned on Penix and he came through once again.
After the game, Penix told FOX's Pam Oliver that it simply came down to playing complementary football.
"It was all complementary football - the offense, the defense, special teams, everybody played well today," said Penix before
praising rookie Kendal Daniels. "Kendal, obviously he had a scary injury last week, so to be able to see him go out and practice this week and then come out and make a big-time play in a big-time moment like that is awesome to see."
Pam Oliver catches up with Michael Penix Jr. after his team handed the 49ers their first loss of the season! pic.twitter.com/mHgZobnZOa
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 25, 2026
Daniels came down with his first career interception and then recovered a fumble a few minutes later to officially close the door on the 49ers' comeback attempt.
Penix also praised Falcons safety Jessie Bates, who recorded an interception in the third quarter. When asked about the lack of fanfare at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Penix said the team just needs to start stacking victories and the fans will come.
"Everybody wanna see us win, so we've got to start putting wins on the board and once we do that, everybody will be in here," concluded Penix.
Atlanta will look to keep it going next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Michael Penix Jr. comments on Falcons' big win over the 49ers
