Michael Penix Jr. Pours Gas on Falcons-Saints Rivalry Ahead of Monday Night Football

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. hasn't made an NFL Start in New Orleans, but it won't be his first time in the Superdome.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is hoping to make his first start against the Saints in New Orleans a good one. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hate week is soon about to come to a head when the Atlanta Falcons (1-2) face their heated NFC South divisional rival, the New Orleans Saints (1-2), on Monday Night Football.

And as fans banter on social media, Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is getting into the fun before his team visits the Caesars Superdome for the Week 4 clash.

“It’s a nice dome,” Penix told reporters on Thursday, days ahead of the matchup. “That’s probably like the only nice thing I can say about them.”

The third-year NFL quarterback is set to make his first start in New Orleans.

In 2024, Penix sat behind Kirk Cousins in his rookie year as the Falcons and Saints split their semiannual divisional faceoff. 

Last year, the rivals faced each other on the back half of the season, as Penix had already suffered his partially torn ACL injury. Cousins started the November 2025 and January 2026 games, and Atlanta swept the series.

Penix’s lone time he played in the Superdome was his final college football season. He threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns as the Washington Huskies defeated Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff national championship game.

He expects his first NFL start in the Big Easy to draw a raucous crowd looking to send the Falcons back to the Peach State with a loss.

“It’s going to be real loud, and it’s going to be great, it’s going to be awesome,” Penix previewed visiting the Saints. “We’re going to go out there and accept the challenge and go out there and just compete our tails off to find a way to get a win. It’s definitely going to be rowdy.”

On Monday, the Saints will celebrate the “Domecoming,” marking 20 years since the team returned to the Superdome in September 2006, a year after Hurricane Katrina. They beat the Falcons 23-3.

When New Orleans honored 10 years of playing in the Superdome, Atlanta won 45-32 in the 2016 season. 

“We want to go out and try to have the same results,” Penix said. 

Penix enters the Saints game after going 18-for-25 for 256 passing yards, throwing a touchdown, and an interception while returning to the Falcons’ lineup. Atlanta beat the Green Bay Packers 35-14 on Sept. 24’s Thursday Night Football, moving the Falcons’ record to 8-3 in primetime games since 2024. 

Falcons-Saints kickoff at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN for Monday Night Football tonight. All-time, Atlanta owns the head-to-head series 58-56 in 114 meetings dating back to 1967.

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