Michael Penix Jr. had a successful debut start for the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Coming in after the benching of Kirk Cousins, Penix led the Falcons to a 34-7 thumping over the New York Giants, earning his first win in his first start.
What Penix did not earn in this game was his first career NFL touchdown. Penix nearly earned his first career touchdown pass in the third quarter when the rookie connected with his running back Bijan Robinson out of the backfield on a swing pass. Robinson ran the pass out from behind the line of scrimmage near the 16-yard line and came close to running it into the end zone but was ultimately tackled two yards short of the goal line. Robinson would score shortly after on a two-yard touchdown run.
— Bryce Lewis (@Bryce_Lewis86) December 23, 2024
Though Robinson earned his second touchdown of the game, he felt bad that he failed to help Penix get the first touchdown of his career.
“It felt awful, I was trying to get Mike his first one," Robinson said. "I thought I beat the dude so bad, but I didn’t know he was trailing behind me … I was like ‘Mike, I’m sorry bro, please forgive me,’ because that’s one you should score easily.”
#Falcons RB Bijan Robinson says he felt bad not getting Michael Penix Jr. his first passing touchdown:
— Bryce Lewis (@Bryce_Lewis86) December 22, 2024
“It felt awful, I was trying to get Mike his first one. I thought I beat the dude so bad, but I didn’t know he was trailing behind me…I was like ‘Mike, I’m sorry bro, please… pic.twitter.com/47czvJEwUi
Penix brushed it off after the game. "It's all good bro. It'll come," he said.
When Bijan Robinson got stopped on the 2-yard line in the 3Q, he came back to the huddle and apologized to Michael Penix for not getting into the endzone for his first career passing TD.
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) December 22, 2024
Penix laughed.
"It's all good bro. It'll come."
Penix finished the victory 18-of-27 for 202 yards and an interception, though the interception was not on Penix as Kyle Pitts tipped the pass into the air. Overall, Penix played with poise during his first career start. Albeit against an uninspired Giants team, Penix managed to successfully connect with his receivers, particularly on intermediate routes, and give the Falcons' offense a lift.
As for his first touchdown toss, Penix will have to shoot for that in one of the Falcons' final two games of the regular season against either the Washington Commanders or the Carolina Panthers.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bijan Robinson Hilariously Apologized for Costing Michael Penix Jr. His First TD Pass.
