FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the team's 29-20 victory against the San Francisco 49ers.
Penix completed 73.5% of his pass attempts for 213 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions against the 49ers, helping to hand them their first loss of the season. His 118.9 passer rating was the third-highest of his career.
The game marked Penix's 17th start in the NFL, and he has continued to make strides in his first season working with head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
"Understanding when you're going to take a chance," Stefanski said. Understanding when you're going to rip it into a tight window because that's what the game calls for, and when you're going to check it down. I just think there's such a feel for that. Now, of course, you coach it—with all of our guys—and you always coach it and point out how important it is. What you don't want is a quarterback that just decides you're going to play small-ball all the time, and you're not going to push the ball down the field. And that's definitely not Mike, and that's not how we coach. We want, when the opportunities are there, to let it rip, and when they're not there, we want to make great decisions."
This season, Penix has completed 66.7% of his passes for 1,157 yards with nine touchdowns and only one interception. He ranks fourth among all NFL quarterbacks with a 109.1 passer rating and is tied for fifth with an average of 8 yards per pass attempt.
"You can sleep good at night when you have Michael Penix playing quarterback for you," Falcons safety Jessie Bates III said.
Take a look at some of the best film photography from Week 7, when the Falcons went against the 49ers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the classic throwback uniforms.
