In 2024, the recipe for a decent Atlanta Falcons team was there—the team posted its highest league rank in total offense in five years, for instance.
However, the Falcons never found the continuity at the quarterback position that separates good teams from merely decent ones. Kirk Cousins started 14 games, led the league in interceptions, and was benched in favor of then-rookie Michael Penix Jr.
As Penix's sophomore season looms, Cousins remains on Atlanta's roster—a surprise to many. Per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, this will not keep the Falcons from emphasizing Penix's development.
"The focus with the Atlanta Falcons is squarely on developing Michael Penix Jr.," Breer wrote Monday morning. "Quietly, the pieces of an offense to best fit Penix are being put together—in a way they couldn’t have been last year with Atlanta locked into having Cousins under center."
Per Breer, Penix has been a fast learner of offensive coordinator Zac Robinson's attack. The ex-Washington quarterback registered three touchdowns against three interceptions in three starts last season.
"His teammates are solidly behind him. Because he’s proven to be so football smart, the coaches believe in him," Breer wrote. "And while the Cousins situation is still hovering, it’s sort of become an out-of-sight, out-of-mind thing for the people inside."
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Atlanta Falcons Keeping Focus on Michael Penix Jr. Amid Kirk Cousins Saga.
