FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga, (AP) 鈥 The Atlanta Falcons are hoping to generate better support for quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in Sunday night’s game at Minnesota after their running game was shut down in their opening loss to Tampa Bay.
Penix passed for 298 yards and one touchdown, completing 27 of 42 passes, while also running for a score in the to the Buccaneers.
Penix had too little help as the Falcons rushed for only 69 yards and Younghoe Koo鈥檚 crucial last-second prevented the game for going to overtime. The Falcons (1-0) signed former Minnesota kicker to their practice squad to compete with Koo and are hoping for better offensive balance against the Vikings.
鈥淢ike played really well,鈥 Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said Wednesday. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to play better around Mike.鈥
Penix, the 2024 first-round pick, is entering his after taking over for Kirk Cousins in the last three games of his rookie season.
鈥淭o see Mike put the team on his back in different situations is just like watching him at Washington,鈥 Robinson said, adding Penix 鈥渒ind of thrives in those moments.鈥
rushed for only 24 yards on 12 carries. Robinson scored on a 50-yard catch and had six receptions for 100 yards.
Robinson ranked third in the NFL with 1,456 yards rushing in 2024 and isn’t accustomed to the meager rushing totals. Tyler Allgeier ran for 24 yards on 10 carries.
‘That鈥檚 the thing we pride ourselves on is the run game so the performance we had the last game, that鈥檚 like unacceptable,” Robinson said Wednesday. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the driving force for everything. It opens up the play-action pass, it helps Mike, it helps the receivers, it helps everything.鈥
Robinson said the offense has adjusted this week after Tampa Bay 鈥渃ame out in a look we hadn鈥檛 seen so our playbook got shorter. 鈥 That first-game look was something we hadn鈥檛 seen and prepared for. We prepared for something totally different that they鈥檇 been used to doing. For us, it wasn鈥檛 about effort or anything like that. We were just outmatched in the game. Now this week we know what to study and to prepare for.”
Falcons coach Raheem Morris didn’t blame the poor running production on new starting right tackle , who moved up after Kaleb McGary was lost for the season with a lower left leg injury late in the preseason.
The Falcons preferred to run behind McGary and right guard Chris Lindstrom in 2024, so the poor performance by the running game in the opener is an ominous sign for the offense.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 play well up front,鈥 Morris said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not Elijah Wilkinson. We didn鈥檛 play well as a group. To say that would be not fair to Elijah Wilkinson.鈥
NOTES: WR Drake London, who left Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury, and WR Darnell Mooney (shoulder), who was inactive on Sunday, had limited participation in practice. Morris said London is 鈥渦ltimately tough鈥 and added 鈥淚 do expect him to play.鈥 WR Casey Washington (concussion) and WR Jamal Agnew (groin) were held out. OT Jack Nelson (calf) and S Jordan Fuller (knee) did not practice.
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