What to Expect from Michael Penix Jr. in First Atlanta Falcons Start

In a move that felt long overdue, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris named first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. the starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the New York Giants. Kirk Cousins, who started off well, struggled in the last six weeks.

The Falcons, sit 1-4 in their last five games. If not for a nailbiter versus the 2-12 Las Vegas Raiders, the Falcons could've been mired in a five-game win streak. With the team momentarily stopping their free fall, they turn to No. 8 overall pick out of the University of Washington.

The Falcons host the New York Giants (2-12) currently locked in a race for the first overall draft pick with the Raiders. Now, what should Penix expect during his first NFL start?

An Underrated Pass Rush Awaits

Despite playing an abysmal brand of football, the Giants' possess a decent pass defense. Granted, teams run all over New York to the tune of 143.7 yards per game on the ground, good enough for the second-worst in the NFL.

With that said, with the ball aloft, New York looks like an entirely different team. The Giants spent salary and draft picks to assemble a rush that encompasses four different players from a style level. First, Dexter Lawrence was the engine of the defense, but he'll miss this contest because of injury.

The team spent the fifth-overall pick on Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux. Thibodeaux brings the entire skillset to the party. He has three tackles for loss and a sack since returning from injury Week 12 vs. the Buccaneers.

He can convert speed to power, using the bull, rip, and swim moves effectively. Slowed by injury this year, Thibodeaux can only claim three sacks, However, if Penix has to scramble, he needs to worry about backside pursuit from a player that forced five fumbles in his first-two-plus seasons.

On the surface, the acquisition of Brian Burns seemed redundant with Thibodeaux in the fold. Yet, the front office made the trade and extended Burns on a five-year, $141-million deal. After a slow start, Burns looks like he rounded into top form. He had just one sack in his first-four games with the Giants, but he has seven in his last 10.

He will attack Penix with pure fluidity and movement. Burns uses spins and will charge wide to surround the quarterback. Not a household name, Azeez Ojulari would've presented another twitchy rusher for Penix to contend with, if a toe injury didn't end his season in November.

With the injuries, the Giants pass rush has fallen off the last month, but they're still seventh in the league with 41 sacks.

Learn While Doing

Penix will make rookie errors and mistakes on Sunday. However, he needs to learn from the mistakes made and not repeat them. The rookie will probably air mail an early pass out of pure excitement.

Feed Kyle

In addition, developing chemistry with receivers cannot go understated. While Drake London and to a lesser extent Darnell Mooney, can play with just about anyone throwing the ball. Meanwhile, a talent like Kyle Pitts still waits for his chance to join the upper echelon of top tight ends.

Penix may need to feed the tight end early in order to keep him engaged in the game. In turn, that leads to better routes late and improved blocking.

Bottom Line

By the time that kickoff rolls around, any butterflies in Michael Penix's stomach could end up being ostriches. Yet, this is the exact moment and reason why the Atlanta Falcons drafted him in the first place.

The immediate future of the franchise rests on his left arm and brain, as the team looks to salvage a season that has slipped away in the last six weeks.