With their respective teams fighting for playoff positions, the two rookie quarterbacks will battle in the ‘Sunday Night Football’ spotlight
The friendship between Michael Penix Jr. and Jayden Daniels dates back to before their professional football careers began.
The two worked out alongside Sam Hartman, a backup quarterback for the Washington Commanders, in Southern California to prepare for the NFL Scouting Combine. It was there the two college football stars forged a bond.
"Those are my guys," Penix said.
Daniels was selected with the No. 2 pick in April's NFL Draft, while Penix was selected at No. 8. With their respective teams fighting for playoff positions, the two rookie quarterbacks will face off in the "Sunday Night Football" spotlight when the Falcons travel to take on the Commanders.
The two stayed in contact throughout the season and most recently talked on the phone last week. Prior to Week 16, the assumption was that Penix would be on the sideline like Hartman. Instead, he's going up against his fellow top-10 pick in his first prime-time start.
"Me and Mike are boys. ... I'm happy for him," Daniels said. "He's a phenomenal player, and I'm excited to match up against him."
While their friendship developed in the lead-up to the combine, they had similar and intersecting paths in college. They both found success upon transferring after their junior seasons. Penix made the switch from Indiana University to the University of Washington while Daniels entered the portal from Arizona State to LSU. Daniels won the 2023 Heisman Trophy. Penix was the first runner-up.
They're also both on the older side for rookies at 24 years old. For comparison, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is 22 years old in his second NFL season. Both quarterbacks gained a lot of experience in college while leading big-time programs. Because of injury, Penix played seven fewer games than Daniels but began his collegiate career in 2018 while Daniels started in 2019.
Daniels has started every game for the Commanders, emerging as one of the stars of the 2024 season. The LSU product leads a packed rookie quarterback class with 3,303 passing yards, and his 22 touchdown passes are tied with another rookie — Denver's Bo Nix — for 10th among all NFL passers. However, the Falcons rookie also earned a stellar reputation at Washington while making a run to the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Huskies ultimately fell short of a title, but the experience is something Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and the organization liked about Penix in the draft process. It's also something that gave Morris confidence in naming him starting quarterback late in the season.
"I got a lot of confidence in the young man of being able to do a couple different things in that form, in that fashion, just because of who he is and the experience that he has from college," Morris said. " ... He's got a lot of really good experiences that's going to help him in this window."
But they aren't in college, anymore. They're two NFL quarterbacks trying to lead their respective teams to the postseason. Washington is hunting for the third and final wild card spot while Atlanta hopes to finish its goal and capture the NFC South division title.
Penix sat on the sideline learning from 13-year veteran Kirk Cousins for 14 games before he was named starter against the New York Giants in Week 16. Penix put up 202 yards and impressed with his arm while leading Atlanta to a 34-7 win. However, Sunday's game will be a tougher challenge against the Commanders (10-5) who are coming off a 36-33 division win against the Philadelphia Eagles (12-3).
Offensive tackle Jake Matthews, the longest-tenured Falcon, said this upcoming matchup is the closest to feeling like a playoff game since the team last made the postseason in 2017.
"This is going to be a really big test this weekend, and a lot is going to be expected from [Penix] and myself and the rest of the offensive line and really us as an offense and a team," Matthews said. "So, a good challenge. That's what Mike signed up for. It's what we all signed up for. We want to be in these big moments and compete against the best and [in] important games like this."
Meanwhile, Daniels has already been battle tested in the NFL. The rookie is tied for third in comeback wins with three this season. Take the previous game against the Eagles for example. He led the Commanders back from a 13-point deficit, capping it off with a game-winning touchdown on their final drive. According to Elias Sports, Washington had lost 98 straight games when trailing by at least 13 points in the fourth quarter before Sunday's win. He also has a Hail Mary victory to his name against the Chicago Bears in Week 8.
Penix has watched all of this transpire from afar. He's been happy for his friend, but Penix is now ready for his own big moment on the biggest stage.
"I expected nothing less," Penix said. "Just being able to train with him, he's a smart player, he knows how to play the game. It's good to be able to see that, and for me to be out there and be able to make some plays as well I'm super excited for it, and I'm ready to get it going."
