Michael Penix Jr. just permanently silenced narratives in Falcons' primetime upset
When thinking about the 2024 NFL quarterback class, most fans think of the holy trinity of Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye. Even Bo Nix gets his fair share of shine, but nobody who isn't an Atlanta Falcons fan is talking about Michael Penix Jr.—and he proved they should be against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.
The second-year quarterback went toe-to-toe with the reigning MVP and managed to out-shine him on a national stage. The Falcons prevailed 24-14, handing the Bills their second straight loss, but it also provided Penix with the biggest statement victory of his young career.
While Bijan Robinson was the star of the show, surpassing 200 scrimmage yards on the evening, Penix impressed as well. Against one of the NFL's best secondaries, he completed 20-of-32 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown—and came a half-yard away from a second score.
All questions Falcons fans have about Michael Penix Jr. have officially vanished
Similarly to his 313-yard masterclass in Week 4 against Washington, the catalyst behind his success was his connection with Drake London. London caught 10 passes for a season-high 158 yards and a touchdown against the NFL's second-best pass defense prior to Week 6
Josh Allen threw two interceptions against the Atlanta defense, but Penix had his first interception-less game since his last primetime game against the Vikings back in Week 2. While he's only thrown four touchdowns in five starts, the numbers don't tell the whole story.
Since offensive coordinator Zac Robinson moved from the booth to the sidelines, Penix has looked like a completely different player. The Falcons are running more pre-snap motions, and they're trusting their quarterback to air out the football.
The most impressive part of his evening was that the Dirty Birds were without both Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud, and Kyle Pitts had a mostly quiet night as well. It was trio of London, Penix, and Robinson that willed the Falcons to the team's most upset victory in years on Monday night.
Part of why Atlanta selected the Heisman Trophy runner-up No. 8 overall back in 2024 was not just because of his rocket arm, but his elite accuracy—and that skill was put on full display, even after Jake Matthews went down with an ankle injury.
Every game, Penix is taking another step forward. If Week 6 is any indication, he could blossom into a superstar far sooner than anyone expected — and Atlanta fans now have a legitimate reason to believe their young quarterback can lead this team back to the postseason.
Broncos Star Gets Honest About Jets QB Justin Fields After Historic Day
The Denver Broncos, and specifically their defense, had a historic day in Week 6 against the
The Broncos sacked Fields 9 times during the contest.
It was a strong effort from Cooper and the Broncos’ defense when the offense did not have its best at different points.
Jonathan Cooper Gets Real About Justin Fields After Broncos Beat Jets
GettyDenver Broncos defensive ends Jonathon Cooper and John Franklin-Myers.
One fan asked Cooper on X what Fields had done to him, since the Broncos star and Jets QB were college teammates at Ohio State for two seasons from 2019 through 2020. The two reached the CFB National Championship in their final season together.
Naturally, Cooper expressed his affinity for Fields, citing their last campaign in Columbus.
“Lead me to a national championship,” Cooper posted on X on October 13. “I love him fr forever my brother.”
The 9th and most important sack of the day.
In addition to the Broncos snapping droughts of various lengths through different combinations of metrics, they held Fields to 45 yards passing on 52.9% completion. The passing yards are his
Moreover, the Jets lost 55 yards on those sacks, giving them a net loss of 10 yards in the game.
That is the fewest passing yards allowed in Broncos history, the first time a team has been held to negative passing yardage since 2023, and the fewest in the NFL
Notably, the Broncos also own the NFL record for fewest passing yards in a game, finishing with a loss of 53 yards against the then-
Jonathon Cooper Helps Tide Star Take Down Former Buckeyes Teammates
GettyJustin Fields #1 and Jonathon Cooper #0 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrate after defeating the Clemson
Cooper and Fields’ Buckeyes lost that National Championship Game 52-24 against the Alabama Crimson Tide
Eight Broncos players recorded at least one half-sack in the game.
Cooper, who signed a four-year, $54 million contract extension last November, led the Broncos with 2.0 sacks on Fields in the win over the Jets. In a twist of fate, Cooper is now teammates with
Surtain drew attention in this game for helping limit Jets star wideout
Up next, Cooper and the Broncos return home to face the New York Giants in Week 7.
Former Broncos QB Russell Wilson, who was also Fields’ teammate on the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, is now with the Giants, and would have been a good matchup for the Denver defense to pad its sack totals.
However, he ceded QB duties to rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart in Week 4. Wilson is now a backup who has been mentioned in trade speculation.
Justin Fields Accepts Blame for Jets Passing Game Woes vs Broncos
GettyJustin Fields of New York Jets is tackled by Eyioma Uwazurike of Denver Broncos.
Fields came under intense scrutiny during and after the game. However, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn
“Come on, man. What kind of question is that?”
Fields, who has a 799-4-0 line on 65% completion this season, accepted blame for the Jets’ passing game woes against the Broncos, saying, it “starts with me.”
“It wasn’t good enough and that starts with me”
Justin Fields talks about the passing game struggles in today’s loss:
again on Monday after the loss to Cooper and the Broncos.
