The Atlanta Falcons opened their season with a heartbreaking 23-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a game defined by missed opportunities, a stalled run game, and a missed field goal in the final seconds.
Despite the loss, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. showed composure well beyond his years, navigating a tough Tampa Bay defense and nearly engineering a game-winning drive in his NFL debut.
“They did a great job,” Penix said postgame. “We knew this defense was going to present a lot of different looks, different personnels out on the field, and I feel like everybody was on the same page. We communicated at a high level.”
Penix was steady throughout, finishing with 298 yards with a touchdown and rushed six times for 21 yards, converting several critical plays.“Everybody continued to do their part to finish plays,” he said. “Shout out to our strength and conditioning team for making sure we were ready for those moments.”
Penix put the Falcons in position in the final minute to put the Falcons in position to win, but Younghoe Koo’s 44-yard field goal missed wide right. “Yeah, he missed it,” head coach Raheem Morris said bluntly. “Those are very makeable kicks. We’ve got to make those. We’ve got to get it done.”
Still, Penix refused to put the loss on his kicker. “I just told him, ‘Don’t let this define you,’” he said. “At the end of the day, that game didn’t only come down to just that last field goal. We had chances earlier to make big-time plays and didn’t.”
The Falcons’ rushing attack, typically a strength, struggled all afternoon. The offensive line failed to create running lanes against Tampa’s aggressive front for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
“We’ve got to find a way to run the football better,” Morris said. “Particularly with the two backs that we have, and our guys up front.” Penix agreed, saying, “All across the board, we all want to be better in that aspect. It’s not always going to be perfect, but we’ve got to be better in all aspects, not just rushing, but me as well.”
While the offense lacked rhythm at times, Penix showed a knack for red zone execution and clutch decision-making. “I just tell myself, it’s the same game I’ve been playing all my life,” he said. “I don’t go out there with pressure… I just let the plays come to me, trust in God, and trust G-Rob to put us in the right position.”
Morris had high praise for his young signal-caller saying, “He’s been excellent. He’s been poised in big moments. Even up until his last throw, he gave us a chance to win.”
Defensively, the Falcons made plays early but couldn’t close out drives. They had multiple opportunities to bring down Baker Mayfield in the backfield but allowed him to extend plays with his legs.
Despite the loss, there’s no sense of panic inside the Falcons’ locker room. “We were that close today,” Morris said. “I don’t think anything’s causing panic. Our guys will go find a way to win the game next week.” Penix echoed the sentiment. “This is the game we’ve been playing all our lives… We’re built for these moments. Just keep living your dreams.”
The Falcons will look to bounce back next week against the Minnesota Vikings.
