It did not take the Atlanta Falcons long to get back on their feet following a failed mission to score a win right away in the 2025 NFL regular season.
Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons, who suffered a 23-20 loss at home in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, finally found themselves in the win column after outlasting the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium during Week 2's Sunday Night Football matchup via a 22-6 score.
Only one touchdown was scored in the entire game, but Falcons head coach Raheem Morris loved what he saw from Penix, as the quarterback showed great poise playing in enemy territory.
“Mike is absolutely outstanding,” Morris said of Penix following the game, per Falcons beat writer Terrin Waack. “He's selfless. He'll do whatever it takes to win, which is exactly what he did tonight.”
Penix threw for just a total of 135 passing yards with zero touchdowns on 13-of-31 pass completions and got sacked three times, but he took great care of the ball. The former Washington Huskies star signal-caller did not turn the ball over.
Atlanta's offense leaned heavily on its rushing attack to move the chains, particularly on the abilities of running back Bijan Robinson. The former Texas Longhorns tailback carved up Minnesota's defense for 143 rushing yards on 22 carries (6.5 yards per carry).
Meanwhile, backup running back Tyler Allgeier burned rubber for 76 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, as he got some extra work thanks in part to the game script as the Falcons tried to use as much time on the clock as possible in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Atlanta held the home team to only 198 total yards while forcing the Vikings into committing four turnovers from Minnesota quarterback JJ McCarthy.
The 25-year-old Penix is still getting used to his role as the Falcons' regular starting quarterback after spending most of his rookie season behind Kirk Cousins. The win over Minnesota on the road should further bolster Penix's confidence, which can't be a bad thing for the Falcons, who will next take on the winless Carolina Panthers in an NFC South divisional matchup in Week 3 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
