Falcons OC defends controversial call for Michael Penix Jr.

The Atlanta Falcons (4-7) will head to New York to face the Jets on Sunday. The NFC South team snapped a five-game losing skid against the New Orleans Saints in Week 12 and is now ready to build momentum.

This will be Kirk Cousins’ second start since he became the team’s starting quarterback following Michael Penix Jr.’s season-ending knee injury. It was noticed that Cousins spent more time under center against New Orleans than Penix did.

The veteran went 16 of 23 for 199 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Head coach Raheem Morris agreed that Cousins felt more comfortable playing under center than Penix.

“There’s no question about it,” Morris answered. “Kirk is, that’s what he’s been throughout his whole career. Obviously, when he came off the injury last year, he felt a little bit more comfortable in the pistol.”

Zac Robinson defends use of pistol formation with Michael Penix Jr.

The debate about why the Falcons use two systems for their quarterbacks has been hot this week. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson defended his decision to use the pistol formation for Penix.

Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Atlanta Falcons.

“100%. Yeah, that’s very fair to say. I mean, I know it’s a popular kind of narrative to say those things,” Robinson answered when asked if the formations were quarterback-driven. “But, Mike is – I think he’s like third or fourth in the league in yards per attempt, and almost all of his are in the pistol in terms of play pass. So, we’ve had better play pass this year. We’ve had better protection. That’s helped out. We’ve had better route distribution, scheming, all those things that factor into it.”

Atlanta has endured tough moments in 2025. They can still turn things around, but the lack of consistency appears to be their biggest opponent this year.