Why did Michael Penix get benched? Falcons turn to Kirk Cousins after sophomore QB's rough day vs. Panthers

Daniel Chavkin

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Why did Michael Penix get benched? Falcons turn to Kirk Cousins after sophomore QB's rough day vs. Panthers image

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix is still new to the NFL, as he has only started six games in his career. On Sunday, he may have had his worst performance of that young career so far.

The sophomore quarterbacks led the Falcons on the road to play the 0-2 Carolina Panthers in Week 3, as Atlanta suffered their second loss of the season, 27-0. It was only the second time that Atlanta scored fewer than 20 points in a game under Penix and the first since Penix's first start in 2024.

The loss drops the Falcons to a disappointing 1-2, handing the Panthers their first win of the season. With the game out of hand, Atlanta chose to look towards next week and give Penix an early break.

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Why was Michael Penix benched?

With the Falcons getting blown out against the Panthers on Sunday, Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris decided to pull Penix from the game. Penix had a difficult game, turning the ball over twice while failing to lead the Falcons on a scoring drive at any point in the day.

Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins replaced Penix to close out the game for his first action of the year. Cousins signed a big, four-year contract with Atlanta in 2024, but was benched in favor of Penix himself to finish the 2024 year.

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Cousins totaled just 29 passing yards on five five completions in garbage time and largely played in the game to give Penix a rest. In all likelihood, Penix's starting spot is not in jeopardy after one bad game.

Penix took full accountability for the struggling offense, saying turning things around starts with him.

"At the end of the day, I have to make those plays," Penix said, via Tori McElhaney. "I have to find my guys that are open."

After the game, Morris was emphatic in saying that the team will not consider allowing Cousins compete for the starting position next week.

However, Morris did say that Penix needs to be better.

"I think he just missed his throws today," Morris said. "Won't make excuses for him."

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Michael Penix stats

  • Completions/Attempts: 18/36
  • Passing yards: 172
  • Yards/Attempt: 4.8
  • Touchdowns: 0
  • Interceptions: 2
  • Fumbles: 0
  • Sacks: 0

Penix failed to total 200 passing yards even though he threw the ball 36 times, which led to a career-low 4.8 yards per attempt. He also threw multiple interceptions for the first time in his career, and failed to score a touchdown for the second-straight game.

The Falcons have now lost all four games in which Penix has thrown the ball at least 30 times since last season, as they are also 2-0 when he produced fewer than 30 attempts.

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Michael Penix interceptions

Penix had two key interceptions in the game that ended up as back-breakers for the Falcons offense. First, Penix threw a pick-six deep in his own territory, which ballooned a 10-point lead to 17 points early in the second half.

Then, Penix threw his second interception late in the third quarter as Atlanta was driving to the red zone, essentially ending the Falcons' comeback attempt.

Daniel Chavkin

Daniel Chavkin is a Digital Content Producer for The Sporting News. A 2018 graduate from the University of Maryland, he has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and NFLTradeRumors.com.