NFL Network Predicts 'Scoring Machine' behind Atlanta Falcons Breakout Player

NFL Network's Bucky Brooks released his All-Breakout team this week, and he has Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. behind center.

Former Atlanta Falcons first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. is NFL Network's choice for breakout quarterback in 2025. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons and ther fans liked what they saw in the three-game cameo from last year’s No. 8 overall pick, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 

Despite a disappointing end to the season, head coach Raheem Morris quickly turned the page after the Carolina Panthers loss to say how excited he was for the future of this team with Penix. 

He’s not the only one. 

NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks picked Penix as his signal caller on his NFL All-Breakout team. 

“Falcons fans should be excited about the offense’s potential with Penix at the helm, despite the small sample size by which we can judge the QB so far,” Brooks wrote on NFL.com. 

Part of Brooks justification for picking Penix this season is the plethora of game breaking talent which surrounds the 25 year old for his sophomore campaign. 

“The left-hander has a wealth of playmakers at his disposal, with the size (Drake London), speed (Darnell Mooney), athleticism (Kyle Pitts) and explosiveness (Bijan Robinson) to score from anywhere on the field,” Brooks wrote.

Last season, the Falcons finished No. 6 in total offense despite a well-publicized mid-season collapse from former starter Kirk Cousins. Brooks thinks a second season from offensive coordinator Zac Robinson along with the strong-armed Penix will help turn producing into points in 2025. 

“As offensive coordinator Zac Robinson tweaks the scheme to build around Penix’s big arm and gunslinger mentality, the Falcons could become a scoring machine, with a spectacular sophomore dropping bombs in a vertical-based passing game designed to produce more explosive plays,” Brooks concluded. 

A scoring machine with Penix at the helm is music to the ears of playoff-starved Falcons fans. 

If the rebuilt defense can show incremental improvement early while the new faces gel, and Brooks’s offensive prognostication comes true, there’s no reason the Atlanta Falcons shouldn’t be back in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.