Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons took advantage of a Monday Night Football showcase by posting a convincing 24–14 victory over the Bills. The second-year quarterback found Drake London 10 times en route to 250 passing yards and Bijan Robinson proved he was a game-breaking option with an 81-yard touchdown run as Atlanta moved to 3-2 on the season.
It was the type of victory that will have pundits wondering if Raheem Morris's team is for real as they fire off their opinions on Tuesday morning. Penix got ahead of the conversation by staking his claim to legitimacy.
"It showed that we're one of the ones," Penix said of Monday's win. "This team is really good. This team is really legit."
Morris also expressed his team's goals for the year, which includes making a second straight playoff appearance
"We want to be a playoff organization," the Falcons head coach said. "We want to be able to go compete in those types of games and we played one tonight and there's going to be no secret. Nobody is going to shy away from those moments. We've got to go do it, but those are the moments you want. Those are the moments you strive for."
If the season ended today, Atlanta would be the last team out looking into the NFC playoff bracket. But there's plenty of time to push the Bucs in the NFC South, who currently lead the division by one game.
If Penix keeps utilizing his impressive complement of explosive playmakers on offense, they'll be a tough out for any team. And with 12 more regular season games to improve during his still relatively young career, it's worth wondering what the immediate ceiling for both the quarterback and organization look like.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Michael Penix Jr. Has Bold Proclamation After Falcons Score Big 'MNF' Win vs. Bills.
