PFF breaks down Michael Penix Jr.'s 2025 season with Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have high hopes for the 2026 NFL season, but they have yet to name a starting quarterback. With Michael Penix Jr. recovering from ACL surgery, veteran Tua Tagovailoa has the inside track to the starting job. However, the competition won't start until Penix is fully cleared for contact.

Assuming both quarterbacks are healthy for training camp, we expect the battle to come down to the wire. Preseason performance could potentially play a factor. Penix may be entering his third season, but he has played a relatively small amount of games.

For some reason, people seem to have a crystal clear memory of each injury that Penix has gotten since 2018. However, the former top-10 pick went four full years without an incident before tearing his ACL last season.

Before going down, Penix's play had been somewhat inconsistent. He's made some incredible throws but still needs to improve his efficiency and overall accuracy. In his last game against the Carolina Panthers, Penix completed 13 of 16 passes for 175 yards and a passer rating of 112.2 before his injury.

Pro Football Focus broke down their biggest risers and fallers at the quarterback position in 2025. Penix made the list of fallers despite boasting a 3-to-1 touchdown/interception ratio (up from 1-to-1 as a rookie).

"After earning an 87.6 PFF passing grade across just 105 attempts in 2024, he fell to 58.0 during an injury-shortened 2025 campaign that ended after Week 11," wrote PFF's Mark Chichester. "He made just nine appearances before another injury sidelined him, continuing a career-long battle with durability. The underlying metrics reflected the decline. Penix's big-time throw rate fell from 9.0% to 2.7%, while his turnover-worthy play rate doubled from 1.7% to 3.4%."

Penix turnover-worthy throws may have increased, but he only threw three interceptions (the same number he passed for in three starts as a rookie). His nine touchdowns didn't exactly set the league on fire, but he proved capable of leading the offense when healthy.

If not for a few untimely intentional grounding calls and delay of game penalties, the perception around Penix might be different. Missed field goals certainly haven't helped Penix, either.

If the former Washington standout can outshine Tua Tagovailoa in training camp, he will be in a position to thrive in Kevin Stefanski's offense this season. On the flip side, if Tagovailoa wins the QB1 job, Penix's time in Atlanta may be winding down.

Even if the odds appear to be stacked against him, Penix is no stranger to adversity. While his resilience will certainly be tested, we would advice against sleeping on Penix this season.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: PFF breaks down Michael Penix Jr.'s 2025 season with Falcons