Michael Penix Jr.ās debut on Monday Night Football couldnāt have ended any better. The quarterback delivered a stellar performance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, leading the Atlanta Falcons to a statement win over none other than Josh Allenās Buffalo Bills ā a result that sends a clear message to the rest of the NFL.
Sean McDermottās squad was seen as one of the toughest challenges the Falcons would face during this stretch of the season ā but it certainly didnāt look that way. From the very first snap, the home team took control and never let up, sealing an impressive 24ā14 victory.
Following the win, the former Huskies standout spoke to the media, reflecting on his teamās performance. He praised his teammates for their effort and made it clear: Atlanta is aiming big this year.
āIt showed that weāre one of the ones,ā Michael Penix Jr. said via espn.com. āThis team is really good. This team is really legit.ā The QB went 20-of-32 for 250 yards and a touchdown, efficiently leading the offense and showing poise well beyond his years.

Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Atlanta Falcons.
Morris and his QB are in sync
āThere is no secret.ā Raheem Morris wants his team to be seen as a legitimate contender ā and heās working every day to make that happen. The veteran head coach knows thereās enough talent on the roster to compete at a high level, and heās determined to put Atlanta firmly in the conversation.
āWe want to be a playoff organization. We want to be able to go compete in those types of games and we played one tonight and thereās going to be no secret. Nobody is going to shy away from those moments. Weāve got to go do it, but those are the moments you want. Those are the moments you strive for.
āThose are the things you dream about from a coaching standpoint, a playing standpoint, an ownership standpoint ā all of those things we want to be a part of and I think that was just something that we wanted to go out there show tonight.ā

Head coach Raheem Morris of the Atlanta Falcons.
Beating a contender
The Atlanta Falcons delivered the biggest statement win of their season, shocking the highly-touted Buffalo Bills and reigning MVP Josh Allen with a decisive 24-14 victory on Monday Night Football.
The Falconsā defensive front completely rattled the typically prolific Bills offense, holding Allen to a season-low 180 passing yards while forcing two critical interceptions.
On the other side of the ball, the dynamic run game, spearheaded by a monstrous 170-yard performance from running back Bijan Robinsonāincluding an 81-yard touchdown explosionāproved too much for the Super Bowl hopefuls, raising immediate concerns about the Buffalo Billsā ability to handle physical opponents.





