Michael Penix Jr. speaks on the relationship between himself and Falcons star Kirk Cousins.
As the Atlanta Falcons take on the Carolina Panthers in the final week of the regular season, the continuous talk has been about quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the rookie who has impressed recently. Another aspect has been the Falcons benching Kirk Cousins to give Penix a look as the first-year player speaks about the support from the veteran.
There could be some people who believe Cousins being benched could create possible tension, but that seems further from reality as Penix spoke highly of their relationship. He would say to the media during a press conference that Cousins has been “great and been nothing but supportive” according to NBC Sports.
“I mean, from my perspective, he’s been great and been nothing but supportive,” Penix said. “He always walks in here with a smile on his face into the building, and he cheers up the team. We were just all out there with the younger guys and some of the practice squad guys and just going through plays with them. So he’s heavily involved, and he wants to do whatever he can to help this team be better. … But to get more into that, you have to ask him.”
Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. has “poise” per Raheem Morris
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As Penix looks to finish out the Falcons' season on a high note against the Panthers, he looks to build off the performance he had in the loss to the Washington Commanders where he forced overtime. Though it ended in a defeat, he showed extreme resilience as he threw for 223 yards to go with a touchdown and an interception as the one aspect that struck Atlanta head coach Raheem Moris was his “poise” according to the team's website.
“The biggest thing for Penix is just the poise that he's shown in these games, you know,” Morris said. “Going out there [in his] first start, find a way of getting a win. In a big-time game on Sunday Night Football, with a playoff-like atmosphere, having the poise to go out there and play and finish and do the things that he did in that game.”
At any rate, the Falcons are currently still in the playoff race as they are 8-8 which puts them second in the NFC South as they will need to beat the Panthers and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to lose to the New Orleans Saints. The future for Cousins on the other hand remains to be seen.
