Penix, the former Washington Huskies standout, was named the Falcons starter in Week 16, replacing veteran Kirk Cousins, who struggled for more than a month. Penix was picked No.

The Atlanta Falcons have to be happy with what they saw from rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in his first NFL start. While the numbers don’t jump out, Penix’s decisiveness, arm talent and pocket mobility were on display during Sunday’s 34-7 win over the New York Giants.

Michael Penix Jr. had a lot on his plate this week. On Sunday, he made his debut as an NFL starter, leading the Atlanta Falcons to a win over the New York Giants. Later in the week, he got engaged. In a video posted to Instagram on Saturday,

What an exciting past couple weeks it's been for Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Just days removed from being named the team's starting QB and helping lead them to a 34-7 win over the Giants,

What a stretch it has been Atlanta Falcons rookie Michael Penix Jr. First, it was announced he'd be taking over for veteran Kirk Cousins after the struggling starting quarterback threw one too many interceptions this season.