Watch: Michael Penix Jr. makes highlight throw in preseason debut
Aug 9, 2024, 6:54 PM
Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. warms up before his NFL preseason debut on Friday. (Rich Storry/Getty Images)
(Rich Storry/Getty Images)
In his NFL preseason debut for the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night, former UW Huskies star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. delivered the type of picturesque throw that was commonplace during his sensational past two seasons on Montlake.
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Facing a second-and-10 midway through the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins, Penix took a shotgun snap, dropped back and lofted a perfectly placed pass down the right sideline to rookie wide receiver Chris Blair, who caught it in stride for a 41-yard gain. The big completion keyed a field-goal drive for the Falcons, who drafted Penix with the No. 9 overall pick in April’s NFL draft.
Penix, who is expected to back up veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins this season, started the game and played into the second quarter. He completed 9 of 16 passes for 104 yards and helped the Falcons to a pair of scoring drives in his five possessions at QB. The other scoring drive was a short 16-yard touchdown march that came after an interception by Atlanta’s defense.
Penix makes the connection downfield!
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— NFL (@NFL) August 9, 2024
Penix, the reigning Heisman Trophy runner-up, is coming off a decorated two-year run in UW’s high-flying attack. The 24-year-old lefty quarterback threw for a combined 9,544 yards and 67 touchdowns over his two seasons on Montlake, leading the nation in passing yards per game both years. He went 25-3 as a starter over that stretch, including 14-1 last fall while leading the Huskies to the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Last season, Penix completed 65.4% of his passes and threw for a school-record 4,903 yards, 36 TDs and 11 interceptions. That broke his own school record of 4,641 passing yards that he set in 2022.
Penix’s second-place Heisman finish in December was the best in UW program history. He then became just the second Huskies quarterback to be drafted in the first round.
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