Penix has thrown eight touchdowns to just one interception since Week 4.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has received his share of criticism during the team’s four-game losing streak. While fans have focused on Penix’s intentional grounding issues and low completion percentage, the second-year quarterback has made his share of progress as well.

Penix is tied with Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett for the third-best touchdown-to-interception ratio in the NFL since Week 4, throwing for eight touchdown passes and just one interception. Only Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (20/0) and Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (13/1) have better touchdown-to-interception ratios over that span.

For the season, Penix has passed for 1,807 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions in eight starts. The former top-10 pick still needs to work on his completion rate (58.8 percent this season), but his overall numbers should serve as a reality check for some of his critics.

Check out the top four quarterbacks in terms of touchdown-to-interception ratio since Week 4, courtesy of CBS Sports’ graphic below.

The Falcons also went on a four-game losing streak last season, but Kirk Cousins played a much bigger role in the team’s struggles. Cousins passed for zero touchdowns and eight interceptions during last year’s losing streak.

Comparatively, Penix has put up some of the best numbers of his career over the last few weeks. In the team’s Week 9 loss to the Patriots, Penix passed for a career-high three touchdowns, including one to Drake London that should have tied the game late in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons missed the game-tying extra point attempt, though, and lost to the Patriots by a final score of 24-23. Last week, Penix led the team on a go-ahead touchdown drive with under two minutes but lost to the Colts in overtime.

In Week 11, Penix will look to get his first career win against the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons were embarrassed 30-0 by the Panthers back in Week 3 and Penix played arguably the worst game of his career. We’ll see if he can lead Atlanta to victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.

Regardless of what happens with the team over the final eight games of the season, Penix is clearly trending in the right direction.