Washington Huskies fans rejoice as Michael Penix Jr. set to start for Atlanta Falcons

Well, better late than never. Folks, Kirk Cousins is being benched. That means one particular former Washington Husky is finally getting his shot at being a starting quarterback in the NFL. That’s right, Michael Penix Jr. has been named the starting quarterback in Atlanta.

Penix is being placed in a pretty tough position. There’s not much room for failure for him and the Falcons if Atlanta is hoping to make it into the playoffs. At 7-7 on the season and trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their division (the NFC South), Atlanta’s playoff hopes aren’t great.

But, well, maybe Penix can help remedy that a bit. 

The Falcons were on a hot streak earlier this season back in October, but recent weeks haven’t been great for Atlanta. It’s also worth noting that Kirk Cousins has struggled mightily in recent weeks. In the last five games for the Falcons, Cousins has thrown nine interceptions and just one single touchdown.

So, with the margin for error being pretty slim, the 36-year-old starting quarterback struggling, and time running out for a playoff push, Penix is getting his shot to be the starting quarterback in the NFL.

Washington Husky fans thrilled as Michael Penix Jr. named Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback over Kirk Cousins

And of course, Washington Husky fans are THRILLED for Penix.

Given all that Penix accomplished on Montlake in just a couple seasons, it’s hard to blame UW fans for being excited. In just two seasons with the Huskies, Penix managed to throw for 9544 yards, 67 touchdowns, and a total of 19 interceptions. 

UW went 25-3 with Penix as the starting quarterback in Seattle, including two Apple Cup victories, three wins over Oregon, two wins over Texas, a Sugar Bowl victory, a Pac-12 championship, and an appearance in the College Football Playoff championship game.

Yeah, Washington fans are right to support this guy.

We’ll see how this all plays out for the Falcons. Here’s to hoping that Penix is able to thrive for them. Atlanta is on the bubble of making it into the playoffs. If Penix can play well as the season starts to wrap up, then there’s a chance that he’ll get to play in the playoffs during his rookie season. Which, you know, seems like a pretty big deal.

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