Penix's return revives Falcons' attack in rout of Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Michael Penix Jr. cried in the locker room before the Atlanta Falcons' last preseason game in August, according to Falcons safety Jessie Bates III. Penix was emotional because he knew he was not ready to return from left ACL surgery last November.

On Thursday, Penix finally came back and helped lead the Falcons to a stunning 35-14 rout of the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. In his first game since tearing his ACL in Week 11 last November, Penix was 18-of-25 for 256 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Bates said Penix was "dying to get back."

"I know how much it means to him," Bates said. "I know how much he means to the locker room."

Penix threw an interception on the first series but then settled down. By the second quarter, he was cruising. During the second and third quarters, Penix was 13-of-15 passing with a touchdown and 5-of-5 on third downs. The score came on a 5-yard pass to tight end Austin Hooper with 59 seconds left in the first half.

"Definitely after that interception, I started getting a rhythm, and everything started clicking," Penix said.

As it has been in his first two seasons, Penix's favorite target was wide receiver Drake London, who had nine catches for a career-high 194 yards.

"He's the definition of resiliency," London said of Penix.

The Falcons (1-2) struggled during the first two weeks of the season. With Penix not yet ready, Tua Tagovailoa was tabbed as the Week 1 starter. But Tagovailoa injured his oblique three days before the first game of the season and had to be spelled by third-string quarterback Cooper Rush.

Rush was also dealing with back spasms, and the Falcons' offense was nonexistent. They scored a combined 16 points over two games, the lowest mark in the league. Atlanta did not take a red zone snap, a skid that was finally broken after 27 straight series to begin the season, tied for the second-longest such streak in the past 45 seasons.

With Penix back under center, the Falcons' hope -- and firepower -- seemed restored. Running back Bijan Robinson had 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries.

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said he felt great for Penix and lauded the hard work he put in to return to the field.

"It's not easy to rehab from injuries," Stefanski said. "That's a tough thing to do when he's putting himself through the extra workouts in the weight room, the extra treatments in the training room. All those times that he's out on the field running and no one was watching. It's just him and the trainers and the medical staff. So proud of all of that. I got to witness it, and this, tonight, is something you can build on."

But the Falcons won't rest on their laurels, either.

"We got a long season to go," Penix said. "That game was far from perfect, and that's what we're striving for each and every day. So, obviously we're going to go back and look at the film, find things that we can do better."