Lack of Preseason Snaps Non-Issue for Falcons' Michael Penix Jr.

The Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback believes he'll be ready without getting snaps in preseason games

No preseason is no problem for Penix | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Second-year signal caller Michael Penix Jr is slated to be the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback for the 2025 season. Like the rest of the starters, he’s sitting out the upcoming preseason game against the Titans. Even without those snaps, Penix assures that he’ll be good to go. 

“I’m always going to be ready,” Penix said. “That’s, that’s my job is to be ready, whenever week, week one come. And, and in college you didn’t have no preseason. It’s like you got, you got your spring game and you going into week one. So, it’s same thing. I’m going to be ready week one. Whenever it count, I’m, I’m going to be there. I’m going to show up.”

Since coming back to Atlanta as head coach in the 2024 offseason, Raheem Morris has been against letting his starters see preseason action. The Falcons gave heavy playing time to the rookies in last week’s preseason game against the Lions. 

Morris was asked about his philosophy compared to other teams. The example given was the Cincinnati Bengals’ giving Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase playing time in last week’s preseason game. Burrow had said earlier that he wants to play more in the preseason to prepare for the regular season. 

“I think every team is different,” Morris answered. “And every year is different. They changed this year because they had a couple slow starts there at the Bengals, and they talked about it openly, and they talked about it how they wanted to do it. I think Zac Taylor changed his philosophy based on that this year, trying to get those guys going and get them going fast, and that’s their philosophy right now. We did not start slow, and we did not have that issue.”

The Bengals started last season 4-8, before rattling off five straight wins and just barely missing the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Falcons started 6-3 but won just two of their last eight to axe their playoff chances.

Measures to prevent another collapse will need to be done elsewhere.

Penix believes that everything he’s been doing at camp and in practice will prepare him to lead the way. 

“The only difference about me not playing preseason, I’m not taking hits. You know, everything else, I’m still getting real work out here, you know. So, that’s the only difference.” Penix said Wednesday. 

While Penix isn’t physically playing in the preseason games, he’s still taking mental reps on the sideline. This is the same thing Penix said he did last season as he watched Kirk Cousins operate the offense, and when he was given the start in Week 16, he was ready to go. 

Penix played just one half of preseason ball last year and took no reps with the starters until the week he was named the starter against the New York Giants. 

He finished the season with three straight games of 200-plus passing yards and was statistically the most clutch quarterback in the NFL in the final four minutes of each half. The most important thing is to have the quarterback fully healthy and ready to go week one, and Penix believes that he will be.