ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris didn’t hesitate to answer the question about when he saw something that confirmed his belief in starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. after last week’s disastrous defeat on the road against the Carolina Panthers.
“Monday, when he came to work,” Morris said. “I believed in him that day.”
Penix proved worthy of that belief in Atlanta’s 34-27 win over the short-handed Washington Commanders on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The result leaves both teams 2-2.
The second-year pro threw for a career-high 313 yards, completing 20 of 26 passes with two touchdowns and one interception. He directed the Falcons to a season-high 435 yards of offense after they were shut out by the Panthers, 30-0, and Penix was replaced late in that game by Kirk Cousins — the veteran he had replaced as the starter over the final three games of the 2024 season.
“What contributed to the response (was) the way the guys went about their business each and every day leading up to this game,” said Penix, the No. 8 pick of the 2024 draft. “It showed true maturity and showed what this team is really about.”
Running back Bijan Robinson complemented Penix with a career-high 181 yards from scrimmage. The third-year pro rushed for 75 yards on 17 carries, including a nifty 14-yard touchdown after breaking multiple tackles. He also had 106 yards on four receptions, with the highlight a 69-yard catch-and-run play in the third quarter that set up a touchdown toss from Penix to Kyle Pitts.
“We know we’re a very good offense,” Robinson said,”but you have to do the little things right, as we did today.”
Atlanta receiver Drake London had his best game of the season with eight catches for 110 yards and a touchdown less than a week after the team fired receivers coach Ike Hilliard. Now the Falcons get some extra time to prepare for their next game, with their open date ahead next weekend before they host the Buffalo Bills on Monday, Oct. 13.
Marcus Mariota, filling in for injured Washington starting quarterback Jayden Daniels for the second straight game, was 16-of-27 for 156 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. With top receiver Terry McLaurin also sidelined, Deebo Samuel had six catches for 72 yards and a touchdown for Washington. Luke McCaffrey also had a scoring catch, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. led the Commanders in rushing with 59 yards on seven carries.
Daniels, last season’s NFL offensive rookie of the year who led Washington to the NFC championship game, is working to recover from a knee sprain, while McLaurin was out with a quad injury.
“I know our team is going to battle back,” said Commanders coach Dan Quinn, who coached the Falcons from 2015-2020 and led the franchise to one of its two Super Bowl appearances. “As a whole, I thought we ran the ball effectively. We missed a few opportunities, and you just can’t beat yourself on some things.”
The 31-year-old Mariota, who was taken by the Tennessee Titans with the No. 2 pick of the 2015 draft, started 13 games for the Falcons in 2022, his lone season in Atlanta. Last week, in his first start since then, he helped lead Washington to a 41-24 home win against the Las Vegas Raiders — another one of his former teams — but he came up short in his return to Atlanta. Mariota was 16-of-27 passing for 156 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and the dual threat’s two carries netted 20 yards.
Tyler Allgeier gave the Falcons a 31-16 lead with a 15-yard run late in the third quarter. Mariota answered with a pretty 24-yard touchdown pass to Samuel on fourth down, followed by the 2-point conversion on his pass to Zach Ertz that cut the Commanders’ deficit to 31-24.
The Falcons responded with a 14-play, 69-yard drive that featured three key third-down conversions by Penix and ended with Parker Romo’s 26-yard field goal with 1:57 left. Matt Gay kicked a 42-yard field goal with 1:33 remaining for the Commanders, but the Falcons recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Atlanta’s 14-play drive, which started at its 23-yard line with 8:48 to play, ate up 6:51 of game clock and gave them a two-possession advantage inside of two minutes.
“It felt great, just looking beside each other, knowing that it’s our game,” Pitts said. “It’s our game to win. Just hone in on the details and focus up, hold the ball and get the win.”
Early in the drive, Penix converted on third-and-5 with a scramble that just reached the sticks. On third-and-6, he hit Pitts for 22 yards. Finally, on third-and-7, he laid a pass in to London for 9 yards.
“Third down was a huge factor in this game,” Quinn said. “We knew that was going to be a big part of it.”
Atlanta receiver Darnell Mooney left with a hamstring injury in the third quarter after making one catch for 15 yards, and cornerback Natron Brooks sustained a concussion while returning a kickoff in the second quarter. He walked off the field to the locker room but did not return.