Michael Penix Jr. slid back his right foot, then his left, and rolled his eyes toward the left sideline. The Atlanta Falcons’ rookie quarterback bounced off his back leg and fired a bullet to fellow rookie Casey Washington.
Some 14 yards later, Washington was on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium turf with a pack of Seattle Seahawks defensive players surrounding him. Behind the sixth-round receiver, Penix walked upfield, eyeing the Falcons’ sideline for the next play.
The scoreboard showed Seattle 34, Atlanta 14, as the two-minute warning approached. But elsewhere, the NFL record books showed two new additions: Penix and Washington, with the two rookies recording their first pass and reception, respectively.
For Penix, the draft’s No. 8 overall pick and the Falcons’ backup to quarterback Kirk Cousins, his seven snaps in Sunday’s 34-14 loss to Seattle were the first of his young NFL career.
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“It was kind of a surreal moment,” Penix said. “It’s not the best situation we were in, with us being down, but to be able to go in and operate at a high level, it was definitely good.”
Penix entered for the Falcons’ final drive, as head coach Raheem Morris felt the game was over and he saw no reasons to throw the 36-year-old Cousins, who’d turned the ball over on each of the team’s previous three possessions, back on the field.
So, in went Atlanta’s prized rookie.
Penix’s completion to Washington, who had played eight special teams snaps in two appearances before Sunday’s game, was his lone pass attempt on debut.
On the other six plays, Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson called runs — one to second-year pro Bijan Robinson and five to sixth-round rookie Jase McClellan, who was active for the first time Sunday and thus received his first NFL carries.
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McClellan finished with 17 yards and averaged 3.4 yards per carry. He and Washington were the Falcons’ only two skill position draft picks apart from Penix, who was impressed by the way his fellow rookies handled their moment.
“Casey’s a guy that works hard every single day,” Penix said. “He goes full speed. You saw when he got the ball, he made a couple players miss. And Jase coming in as well, running the ball, running extremely hard — it was good to see him out there as well.”
While Penix enjoyed the performances of Washington and McClellan, he had his own admirer on the field Sunday: Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.
Penix and Smith met last year, when Penix was the quarterback at the University of Washington, a 20-minute drive up I-405 N from the Seahawks’ training facility in Renton, Washington.
Smith watched as Penix finished second in the Heisman Trophy race and led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
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And on Sunday, Smith saw Penix debut — and believes the 24-year-old has a bright future ahead of him.
“He’s a special player,” Smith said about Penix. “I think when he gets his opportunity, he’s going to be ready for it. I really believe in him. Obviously, him and [Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan] Grubb have done great things together, and it was great to see them have a moment before the game.
“Really rooting for Mike and hoping for the best for him.”
Penix thought his debut went well, saying postgame he works hard each day at practice to be ready when his moment arrives. On Sunday, it did.
But Penix knows he wasn’t drafted by the Falcons for mop-up duty. And while the Tampa, Fla., native is grateful to check off a childhood bucket list, he’s well aware there’s plenty more to come.
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“I can’t get complacent, I can’t get comfortable,” Penix said. “It’s still a lot of football left, and I feel like I’ll play a lot of football in my future. But it’s definitely a blessing — something I’ve been dreaming of all my life — and I’m super blessed to be able to have the opportunities.”
SAN FRANCISCO — Robbie Ray was everything the Giants could ask for on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park.
In a performance that continued a strong recent stretch, the 34-year-old went eight innings and gave up a single unearned run, leading San Francisco to a 3-2 win.
It was an outing that will only increase potential interest in Ray at the upcoming MLB trade deadline, one where the Giants figure to be busy after ending their first winning homestand since April with a record of 35-48.
The Braves, who remain in first place in the NL East, are 49-33.
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Ray was perfect through four innings until Matt Olson broke up his run of 12 consecutive batters retired with a single to center to lead off the fifth.
His shutout bid was ruined in the eighth when Michael Harris II drove in Eli White with a sacrifice fly, but Ray buckled down and retired Ozzie Albies with a popup to center to end the inning.
The Giants got on the board when Luis Arraez scored in the sixth on an infield single by Rafael Devers, running home when Austin Riley’s throw bounced off Olson’s glove and trickled away from him down the right-field line. They scored again when Albies threw the ball past Olson on Jung Hoo Lee’s grounder to the right side, allowing Heliot Ramos to score.
Ramos made his return from a right quad strain Sunday and played in his first game with the Giants since May 15.
Arraez led off the inning with an infield single down the left-field line, and Ramos further set the table with a single to center. Arraez added on in the seventh, bringing in an insurance run with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Drew Gilbert, who had led off the inning with a pinch-hit single to center.
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The Sunday matinee was attended by 33,138 fans. Next up for the Giants is a quick six-game trip that begins Monday with an evening game in Arizona and will continue with a three-game set in Colorado over the holiday weekend, starting Friday.
Check back for updates to this story.
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Top fast food chain report: Jersey Mike’s takes first place
After an 11-year run, Chick-fil-A is no longer the top-rated quick-service restaurant, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
A new survey suggests that if Georgia workers could choose any office in the state to work from, many would pick Chick-fil-A’s headquarters in Atlanta.
The survey from Resume.io asked more than 3,000 workers nationwide to identify the workplaces they would most like to work from if location were not a factor.
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Participants were instructed to judge the office environment itself rather than salary, benefits, company culture or employer reputation.
Among Georgia locations, the Chick-fil-A Support Center ranked highest, followed by Porsche Cars North America’s headquarters in Atlanta.
Chick-fil-A tops Georgia list
The Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Support Center ranked No. 17 nationally in the survey.
Researchers highlighted the campus-style setting, which includes landscaped grounds, gardens, walking trails and visitor experiences. The workplace was noted for having a more retreat-like atmosphere than a traditional office tower.
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The support center serves as the corporate headquarters for the restaurant chain founded by S. Truett Cathy.
Porsche headquarters also earns recognition
Coming in at No. 30 nationally was the headquarters of Porsche Cars North America.
Located in metro Atlanta, the campus is home to the Porsche Experience Center and includes a driver development track, simulators, event space, training facilities and a vehicle restoration workshop.
The survey described the site as a workplace that immerses employees in the brand’s automotive culture.
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What workers want from an office
According to Resume.io, respondents were asked to focus strictly on the physical workplace environment when making their selections.
The survey comes as many employers continue balancing in-office, hybrid and remote work arrangements.
Amanda Augustine, a career expert with Resume.io, said employee expectations have changed as flexible work has become more common.
“If people are going to spend time commuting and working onsite, the experience has to offer something more than a desk and fluorescent lighting,” Augustine said.
Which offices ranked highest nationwide?
Nationally, the top-ranked workplace was Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York City.
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Other offices appearing near the top of the list included the PGA TOUR Global Home in Florida, Servco Pacific’s headquarters in Hawaii, Google’s St. John’s Terminal in New York and TikTok’s U.S. Data Security office in Arizona.
Georgia was one of only a handful of states to place two workplaces among the survey’s top 30 most desirable offices.
For more information, visit resume.io.
Vanessa Johns is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia, covering food and entertainment. Email her atVcountryman@gannett.com.
