When the Atlanta Falcons face the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, it will be quarterback Michael Penix Jr.'s first time playing in the NFC South's most-heated rivalry.
Penix was stuck behind veteran Kirk Cousins for both Falcons-Saints matchups during his rookie year, and tore his ACL before the two NFC South meetings in 2025.
The former top-10 pick made his 2026 season debut against the Green Bay Packers last week and helped provide the spark this offense desperately needed. Atlanta racked up 498 yards in Week 3, with Penix passing for 256 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a passer rating of 101.4 and QBR of 84.9.
Penix will look to keep things going in front of a hostile New Orleans crowd in Week 4, but he had one nice
thing to say about the Saints during his Thursday press conference.
"It's a nice dome," said Penix, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi.. "That's probably the only nice thing I can say about them."
Penix on the Saints: It's a nice dome. That's probably the only nice thing I can say about them. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) October 1, 2026
Penix has been very good under the bright lights in career thus far, leading the Falcons to wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills last season. However, the crowd in New Orleans will be a tough test, especially with it being the 20th anniversary of the "Domecoming" game.
Beyond crowd noise, though, the Saints have quietly become a pretty good team under head coach Kellen Moore. Even at 1-2, New Orleans was in a position to win all three games this season. In Week 1, the Saints nearly beat the Detroit Lions in overtime but failed to convert on a two-point conversion attempt.
Last week, the Saints were defeated by Cousins and the pesky Las Vegas Raiders (3-0). It's safe to assume Moore will have his team locked in for Monday's prime-time showdown against the Falcons in Week 4.
We'll see if Penix and company are up to the challenge. The game starts at 8:15 p.m. ET this Monday on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons QB finds 1 nice thing to say about Saints ahead of MNF game
