'Phenomenal' Penix continues winning ways with resurgent Falcons

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  Marc RaimondiOct 6, 2026, 01:10 AM ET

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  Marc Raimondi's first year covering the Falcons was 2024, but it wasn't his first year at ESPN. He joined the company in 2019 and was a top combat sports reporter. He also covered professional wrestling and wrote the book "Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling's New World Order Changed America," which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi also worked for the New York Post and Newsday, beginning in 2009, covering high school and college sports, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Atlanta Falcons' offense has completed an improbable turnaround in the span of just two weeks.

Over the first two games of the season, the Falcons had a combined 16 points, the lowest in the NFL. After a 45-24 win over the rival New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, Atlanta put up a league-high 80 combined points in Weeks 3 and 4.

The Falcons defeated the Green Bay Packers, 35-14, at Lambeau Field last week on Thursday Night Football. Atlanta is the first team in NFL history to win back-to-back primetime games on the road by 20 or more points, according to ESPN Research.

The biggest reason? Michael Penix Jr.'s return from ACL surgery.

The Falcons started third-string quarterback Cooper Rush the first two weeks of the season. Penix came back in Week 3 and led the Falcons to a dominant performance against the Packers. On Monday, Penix 15-of-20 passing for 223 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.

"He's been phenomenal, man," Falcons running back Brian Robinson Jr. said of Penix. "It ain't really much other words I can say about the way he's been playing. I appreciate his attitude, how he come in and just take the field and he's focused and he's ready. He's not letting nothing that he's been through in his past get in the way of his goals and what he wantsin the future."

Penix, who tore his left ACL last November, is now the first Falcons quarterback with a completion percentage of least 70% and 10 yards per attempt in consecutive games since Matt Ryan in 2018.

Penix's presence has opened up things for the Falcons' running game in a huge way. Atlanta has gone over 200 yards on the ground in each of the last two weeks. On Monday, the Falcons had five rushing touchdowns. Bijan Robinson had 19 carries for 145 yards, and two touchdowns and Brian Robinson Jr. had 62 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns.

"I feel like it could be the best in the league this year," right tackle Jawaan Taylor said of the team's ground attack.

The Falcons started 0-2 with a feeble offense and three straight primetime games coming up, two of them on the road, including Monday when the Saints were celebrating the 20-year anniversary of the first game back at the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina.

Atlanta has now won two straight heading into a date with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football.

"We just want to show the world who we can be," Falcons safety Jessie Bates III said. "The first two weeks were not up to our standards. Obviously, when you got [Penix] back there dealing, it's a whole different team. So, we're just excited to continue to go with this."