Meet Michael

Following a 15-9 win over the Raiders that saw Kirk Cousins throw his 16th interception to his 18th touchdown and take his 28th sack, the Falcons made a change at quarterback, turning to the rookie and No. 8 overall pick in this past April’s draft, Michael Penix Jr.

Penix has only started two games, a win and a loss, albeit the loss was an overtime thriller against the 11-5 Washington Commanders. In those two games, the rookie has gone 37-62 for 425 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while taking two sacks.

With only two games of tape, against vastly different teams, there is still a lot to learn about Penix and how he factors into this offense.

“I watched the game last night and just on TV, kind of seems like they still run the core plays,” explained corner Mike Jackson on Monday. “It’s late in the season, so obviously people change stuff up, but I’m pretty sure they have a couple of plays that they like for him.”

One thing that stands out immediately though is his throwing hand. Penix is one of only two passers currently in the NFL who are left handed, the other being Tua Tagovailoa. It’s something different to adjust to, especially if you’ve never faced it before, which is the situation Jackson finds himself in this week.

“It’s just going to be kind of different cause I’ve never played a left-handed quarterback,” Jackson explained. “So, it’s like everything you traditionally think of is backwards now. So for his three-step draw, like all that type of stuff, so I feel like it’s gonna be kind of fun to like take on this challenge.”

The Panthers don’t have a left-handed quarterback on the roster to simulate the difference in practice this week. Theoretically it shouldn’t change anything in the offense for the Falcons. But it does mean for any defenders who have not faced a leftie before, they’ll have to tell their eyes what they’re seeing as the game begins.

“At the end of the day, the routes still going to be the same,” Jackson said. “It’s just, like, everybody says with a left-handed quarterback, the ball comes out different. Like the spin on the ball, so it looks different right when you try to catch it. But other than that it’s still going to be just regular football.”