The Atlanta Falcons opened their preseason campaign with a 20-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Friday night. Despite the defeat, rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. provided a glimpse of his potential in his NFL debut.
Penix, who was drafted eighth overall after a standout career at Washington, took the field for the Falcons’ first five drives. The young quarterback completed 9 of 16 passes, accumulating 104 yards through the air. His most impressive moment came in the first quarter when he connected with receiver Chris Blair on a 41-yard pass down the sideline, showcasing his arm strength and accuracy.
Reflecting on his debut, Penix expressed his excitement about playing at the professional level. “It was fun to be out there competing with my brothers,” he said. “I’ve been playing this game since I was 5 years old, so I didn’t feel any nerves—just ready to go.”
Penix led the Falcons to two scoring drives during his time on the field. The first resulted in a 39-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo, and the second culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run by Carlos Washington. With just over six minutes left in the second quarter, Taylor Heinicke took over quarterback duties, giving the rookie a chance to observe from the sidelines.
“There are definitely areas where I want to improve,” Penix acknowledged. “But overall, I felt I executed the offense well and focused on getting points on the board whenever I had the chance.”
On the other side, Miami opted to rest several key players, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and star receiver Tyreek Hill, both of whom recently secured new contracts during the offseason. Despite this, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel praised his team’s effort, particularly under challenging circumstances. “We had some defensive players play out of position because of depth issues,” McDaniel said. “It was good to see our guys get a win in front of the home fans.”
The game also marked the coaching debut of Falcons head coach Raheem Morris. “We had a chance to see these guys go out and make some plays,” Morris said. “I saw many positive things.”
Miami took control of the game in the second quarter with two unanswered touchdowns. Rookie running back Jaylen Wright made an impact with 10 carries for 55 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Skylar Thompson also contributed, tying the game at 10 with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Wilson Jr. Wright’s touchdown came after linebacker Isaiah Mack recovered a fumbled snap by Heinicke.
In a moment of celebration, Wright opted to toss the ball into the stands after scoring his first NFL touchdown. “It was just excitement. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Wright explained.
Both teams added field goals in the third quarter—one from Miami’s Jason Sanders, who was accurate from 58 and 47 yards, and another from Koo. However, the Falcons struggled to capitalize in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over on downs twice inside Miami’s 10-yard line.
Looking ahead, the Falcons plan to develop Penix as an understudy to veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who joined Atlanta in the offseason. Cousins is still recovering from an Achilles injury that ended his previous season prematurely, but he has been active in training camp, including participating in joint practices with the Dolphins earlier this week.
“I felt really good about Michael,” Morris said. “It was great to see him execute some of the pass plays and lead the offense. A solid night for him overall.”
While Penix showed promise, the Falcons will need to fine-tune their execution as they continue their preseason preparations.
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