Tag: Michael Penix Jr.

Christian McCaffrey’s offensive explosion, 49ers’ defense help stymie Falcons in win

[ad_1]

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers’ defense had a night.

The star running back had 201 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns as San Francisco topped the Atlanta Falcons, 20-10, on Sunday night.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) celebrates his touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

McCaffrey ran for 129 yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground. He also had seven catches for 72 yards. He got the scoring started in the second quarter when he helped put San Francisco on top 7-3. He then put the dagger into the hearts of Falcons fans when he was pulled and pushed into the end zone with 2:26 left in the game.

It was that kind of frustrating night for the Falcons.

Michael Penix Jr. was 21-of-38 for 241 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked twice and lost a fumble. But after two big wins against the Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills, the Falcons’ offense was expected to have a little more firepower than what they showed against a depleted 49ers defense.

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Mykel Williams (98) celebrates in the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Kelley L Cox)

BRONCOS ERASE 19-POINT DEFICIT TO SHOCK GIANTS BEHIND BO NIX’S 4 TOUCHDOWNS

Atlanta went on nine drives during the night and were only able to attain 19 first downs. The team was 5-for-11 on third downs and 0-for-2 on fourth down conversion attempts.

San Francisco had 324 yards of total offense against Atlanta’s 292.

The 49ers were able to hold running back Bijan Robinson to 40 rushing yards on 14 carries. He had six catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. San Francisco quarterback Mac Jones was in for Brock Purdy. He had 152 passing yards and an interception.

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) runs near San Francisco 49ers safety Ji’Ayir Brown (27) in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Kelley L Cox)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Despite the injuries that have affected San Francisco since Week 1, the 49ers moved to 5-2 with the win. Atlanta fell to 3-3.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

[ad_2]

Source link

October 19, 2025
Falcons: QB succession plan and defensive depth were paramount in 2024 NFL Draft

[ad_1]

DETROIT — The 2024 NFL Draft for the Atlanta Falcons will be remembered for a garden variety of reasons. First and foremost, the selection of Michael Penix Jr. with the 8th pick was a head-scratcher for many. Secondly, five of the Falcons’ eight draft picks were used on the front seven. Three of the five picks were defensive tackles. Additionally, the Falcons did not draft anyone outside of college football’s Power Five conferences. Let’s make sense of this.

During his opening press conference, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said, ‘If we had better quarterback play, I may not be standing here.’ He’s right. If Ridder had taken the Falcons to the playoffs last year, Arthur Smith would still be head coach. In response, Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins and drafted whom the brass believes will be the eventual successor in Penix.

“Here’s one of those times we’ve been able to stump the world and we’ve been talking about it for three days,” Morris said Saturday. “I hate for it to be the story of the draft and I know it will be.”

Could the Falcons have drafted Spencer Rattler, Jordan Travis, Kedon Slovis, or Joe Milton III in the later rounds? Sure! Did they want to put their futures in the hands of a quaterback drafted in the later rounds? Well, it got Arthur Smith fired.

For example, if the Falcons cut Cousins before 2025, he’ll cost at least $40 million against the Falcons’ salary cap in dead money, according to OverTheCap. That hit goes down to at least $12.5 million if he’s cut ahead of 2026 or 2027.

There are no guarantees and sure things in the NFL. What is clear is that 66 quarterbacks started NFL games in 2023. Outside of the starters, the backup quarterback position has become very important in today’s game.

By the way, Kirk Cousins will be 36 on August 19th.

Why did the Falcons go heavy with defensive players?

Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata are north of 30 years of age. Drafting Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus, Zion Logue and Bralen Trice in the middle rounds signifies affecting the quarterback is a major key for the Falcons heading into 2024. Last season, the Falcons did not have anybody within the top 20 of pass rush win rates. Neither at edge rusher or defensive tackle. No Falcon defensive tackle or edge rusher finished in the top ten in run stop win rates. Additionally, the Falcons finished 2023 with 42 sacks, which was 22nd in the NFL.

Sure, a defensive-minded head coach would want to fortify the front seven. Yes, a defensive-minded head coach wants to affect the opposing quarterback often. Yes, the foundations of football are built at the line of scrimmage. However, an offense’s best friend is a defense that can get off the field on third down.

What was a weakness must be a strength for the Falcons.

As of the time of publication, the Falcons signed the following undrafted free agents: WR JaQuae Jackson, Rutgers; WR Isaiah Wooden, Southern Utah; OL Ryan Coll, Richmond; CB Trey Vaval, Minnesota State; P Ryan Sanborn, Texas); QB John Paddock, Illinois, CB Jayden Price, North Dakota State; and TE Austin Stogner, Oklahoma. Cole Beck from Virginia received an invite to rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.

The fact remains: The Atlanta Falcons have not had a winning season since 2017. Additionally, the team has not won the division since 2016. Furthermore, Atlanta has not hosted a playoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Those are the primary complaints from Falcons owner and CEO Arthur M. Blank. Yes, drafting Penix and investing heavily on defense in the 2024 NFL Draft seems like a poor proposition. However, a succession plan after Kirk Cousins was important to Blank. It was also important to the job securities of Fontenot and Morris.

Related

[ad_2]

Itoro N. Umontuen

Source link

April 28, 2024
Falcons select Michael Penix, Jr. in a shocking NFL Draft surprise

[ad_1]

DETROIT — With the 8th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected Washington quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. Yes, the Falcons needed a quarterback to shore up their long-term future after current quarterback Kirk Cousins’s time in uniform is completed. However, the selection of Penix with the 8th pick after paying Cousins $180 million nearly six weeks ago, is absolutely shocking.

The decision to take Penix stunned the 275,000 people at Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit.

First, Cousins’s earnings in 2024 ($12.5 million) and 2025 ($27.5 million) are fully guaranteed. If the Falcons were to release Cousins after the 2024 season, they’d be on the hook for $65 million in dead money and cost themselves $25 million in net cap space. Even a post-June 1 cut would leave $40 million in dead cap on Atlanta’s books, placing the team in cap Hell.

However, Penix was complimentary of Cousins Thursday night.

“He’s been in the league,” Penix said of Cousins in a phone call with the press. “He’s been in there for a while. He’s played a lot of football. I feel like I’m gonna come in and I’m gonna learn. I’m gonna learn from him.”

Penix’s credentials do not disappoint. He was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy last year and won the Maxwell Award, as the best all-around player in college football. Additionally, Penix led major college football with 4,903 passing yards in 2023 and was second in FBS in 2022 (4,641). Here’s some historical perspective: Penix is the first player with 4,500 passing yards or more in two straight seasons since Patrick Mahomes did it in 2015 and 2016 for Texas Tech.

However, Penix’s injury history made many teams pause: Penix had four separate season-ending injuries while playing for Indiana University. Penix tore his right ACL in 2018, dislocated his shoulder in 2019, tore his right ACL again in 2020 and separated the AC joint in his shoulder in 2021.

Now, the Falcons have to deal with the fact Penix, 23, would be at least 25 when it’s his turn to take the helm. Colloquially, the NFL stands for ‘Not For Long’ and the Falcons are in win-now mode. Apparently, the clock is ticking for Cousins, head coach Raheem Morris and General Manager Terry Fontenot as owner Arthur Blank has given the team a mandate to win the NFC South for the first time since 2016.

Related

[ad_2]

Itoro N. Umontuen

Source link

April 25, 2024