Atlanta, GA
Falcons Coach Says Michael Penix Jr. has Trait Most ‘Great’ QBs Have
Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had perhaps his most impressive drive through two starts late in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s 30-24 overtime loss to the Washington Commanders.
Penix led a game-tying 12-play scoring drive in just over three minutes, capped by a touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Pitts on fourth-and-goal from the 13-yard line. He went 5-for-8 passing for 77 yards on the drive, during which he also converted a third-and-5 and fourth-and-11.
The pass to Pitts, along with intermediate out routes to receiver Drake London, showed Falcons head coach Raheem Morris that Penix, in addition to his plethora of physical tools, has an important trait that’s common for successful quarterbacks.
“You’re talking about a guy that’s a great anticipatory thrower, and Michael throws the ball with great anticipation,” Morris said Monday. “Most of the great quarterbacks that we know, that we’ve seen, throw the ball with great anticipation, and they throw it before the guy’s open. We call it throwing them open.”
Morris believes Penix did exactly that on his touchdown to Pitts, which was the first scoring pass of Penix’s young career. He also did it on his second career interception, coming in the first quarter after miscommunication between he and receiver Chris Blair.
“He lets that thing go on line on the fourth down to Kyle Pitts in the back of the end zone, throwing that ball well before the break, in and out of the break, in between two defenders — great anticipation,” Morris said.
“When you throw the ball that way, just like on the interception he threw, if somebody runs the wrong route and you throw the ball with great anticipation that they’re going to be there and they’re not, that lets you down and you can get an interception.”
Morris’s answer came in response to a question about Penix’s chemistry with his receivers after a late-season quarterback switch from veteran Kirk Cousins to the 24-year-old first-round pick.
At halftime of Sunday night’s loss, Penix approached London. The rookie passer said he needed to be better, to which London reassured him by noting they’d only played six quarters together.
Penix spent the first 14 weeks of the season as Atlanta’s scout team quarterback, meaning he didn’t get many reps with the starters. In addition to chemistry questions, the ball spins differently from left-handed quarterbacks, making the adjustment difficult for the Falcons’ wideouts.
Yet in must-have situations Sunday night, Penix and London connected well. They still feel they have room to grow — and progress should come with reps.
“They’re talking about their work and what they need to do on their indicators when breaks are going to happen and when he’s going to come out,” Morris said. “Some of the outside breaking routes that Drake’s been able to run that seem like they’re seamless, some of those pressure routes that we ran yesterday with Drake that are awesome, those are things you’ve got a lot of accumulated reps on.”
Morris pointed to a few inaccurate redzone passes Penix made against the Commanders as an instance of chemistry needing more work. That won’t happen overnight, and Morris added they’ll work on it this week in practice and into the offseason.
The standard, Morris said, can be found with the Cincinnati Bengals.
“I can only think about the tandems that have been together for a long time,” Morris said. “We’re talking about the great ones, right, Joe Burrow and Ja’marr Chase. That is time on task, and that’s what we’re talking about. We’re talking about being able to get those things.
“And it is a tall task to ask the guy to step in and be able to do those things. It is the reason we didn’t actually want to do those things right away. We were put in the situation that we are.”
Morris, one can assume, is alluding to the Falcons starting Penix. They signed Cousins to a four-year contract worth up to $180 million this spring with intents of starting him for at least the next two seasons, during which he’s set to receive $90 million guaranteed in addition to a $10 million roster bonus for 2026 that’s paid March 17, 2025.
Atlanta didn’t pay Cousins that type of money to bench him after 14 starts, but after the 36-year-old tossed nine interceptions to just one touchdown in his final five appearances, the Falcons were left with no choice.
While not their plan, the Falcons are getting one positive: an early look at the player they think can be their long-term future under center.
“I love the kid,” Morris said postgame Sunday. “I love the kid’s fight. I love the kid’s desire. He represents us. He represents Atlanta. He represents everything that’s good about us.”
The public is getting its first look at the two pandas that will be heading from China to Zoo Atlanta.
NBC’s Janis Mackey Frayer was able to visit female Fu Shuang and male Ping Ping before they make the nearly 8,000-mile flight. The giant pandas are both 6 years old and are headed to the United States as part of a new decade-long conservation agreement between China and the U.S.
Ping Ping’s keepers say he tends to follow them around, which is atypical behavior for a panda, but may be because of the food they have for him. Fu Shuang — which translates to “double happiness” — is playful, but nervous, and enjoys placing her chin on her paw. She also likes apples and has a penchant for finding them.
“Because we will hide pieces of apples, for example under the tree … she can find them everywhere,” panda keeper Wang Shun told Mackey Frayer, noting her “clever” behavior.
The pandas are part of an international cooperative research agreement on giant panda conservation between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, a renewal of panda diplomacy between America and China that began in 1972.
“Zoo Atlanta is delighted and honored to yet again be trusted as stewards of this treasured species and to partner with the China Wildlife Conservation Association on the continued conservation and research efforts that are the most important outcomes of this cooperation,” Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond B. King said in a statement in April.
“We can’t wait to meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and to welcome our Members, guests, city, and community back to the wonder and joy of giant pandas.”
Pandas are already at zoos in Washington, D.C., and San Diego. Zoo Atlanta maintained a panda agreement with China from 1999 until 2024, when Lun Lun and Yang Yang went back to their home country, along with their two youngest cubs.
Animal behaviorist James Ayala marvels at how pandas mature.
“You see cubs and they seem so cuddly and clumsy and cute. And then they grow up into these big, majestic bears,” he told Mackey Frayer.
Fu Shuang and Ping Ping will be transported further south into a mountainous region where they will be prepped to make the trip to the U.S. It is unknown when they will leave.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Soccer fever took over The Battery Atlanta on Thursday as fans gathered outside Truist Park for a rare chance to see the FIFA World Cup trophy in person.
Children kicked soccer balls across the plaza while crowds counted down to the dramatic reveal of the iconic trophy, widely considered the most coveted prize in international sports.
The appearance marked the first public viewing of the FIFA World Cup trophy in Atlanta.
“It’s the real trophy,” said fan Abdulrahman Dwead. “Nobody is allowed to touch the actual trophy unless you won it or are the president of FIFA. So, me standing beside that cup, that’s an honor to me.”
The trophy stop carried extra significance because Atlanta is one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Local fans said the event gave them a deeper sense of excitement ahead of the tournament.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” said Melissa Richardson. “It’s something that doesn’t happen often and to be here in this moment is very important to me.”
The trophy was displayed outside the ballpark before moving inside Monument Garden during Thursday night’s Braves game, allowing ticket holders another opportunity to see the historic prize.
Organizers said the event gave thousands of fans a rare chance to experience a piece of soccer history in Atlanta.
“I’m so happy that Atlanta will host eight games,” Dwead said. “I’ve been here in Atlanta for almost 14 years and I love Atlanta so much.”
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.
The Atlanta Dream are undefeated heading into their home opener and still finding ways to improve their roster.
The Dream announced Wednesday the signing of forward Amy Okonkwo to a developmental contract. It’s the latest roster move for an Atlanta team that is 2-0 and gearing up to play Sunday against the defending champion, Las Vegas Aces.
Okonkwo brings an impressive résumé despite her young career.
She most recently attended training camp with the Dallas Wings ahead of the 2026 season and appeared in eight games with Dallas during the 2025 WNBA season, averaging 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting better than 60 percent from the field. She recorded a career-high 20 points against Phoenix on Sept. 11, 2025, and made history as the first undrafted player since 2000 to average 10 or more points while shooting 60 percent or better through her first two WNBA games.
Her international résumé is equally impressive. Okonkwo has earned back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket MVP honors in 2023 and 2025 while helping Nigeria’s national team capture consecutive gold medals. Collegiately, she played at USC before finishing her career at TCU, where she earned 2018 Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year honors.
Okonkwo joins a 12-player roster that includes Naz Hillmon, Te-Hina Paopao, Jordin Canada, Angel Reese, Aaliyah Nye, Rhyne Howard, Madina Okot, Allisha Gray, Isobel Borlase, Indya Nivar, Sika Kone and Brionna Jones.
The signing caps a busy stretch of roster moves for Atlanta.
Earlier this month, the Dream claimed guard Aaliyah Nye off waivers after she was selected by the expansion Toronto Tempo in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft and subsequently waived on May 7. Nye brings championship pedigree to Atlanta, having been a member of the 2025 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces as a rookie, appearing in all 44 regular season games and finishing fourth among franchise rookies in made three-pointers with 37.
A guard out of the University of Alabama, Nye is one of the sharper shooters in the league. She finished her college career with 389 three-pointers across stops at Alabama and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc. In her final season with the Crimson Tide, she earned Second Team All-SEC honors after averaging 15.2 points per game and setting the program’s single-season record with 111 made three-pointers.
To make room for Nye, the Dream waived guard Holly Winterburn, a move that came with an emotional cost. Winterburn, a Northampton, England native who went undrafted in 2025 before signing with Atlanta as a free agent, said she learned she had been cut just before boarding the bus for the team’s first game of the season on May 9.
“I thought my welcome to the W moment would happen on the court, not as I’m getting on the bus for my first ever game,” Winterburn wrote on Instagram. “But that’s the reality of this business and I will always be grateful for the opportunity Atlanta gave me. I’m built for this.”
Winterburn did not stay without a job for long. The Portland Fire signed her to a developmental contract shortly after her release.
After Tuesday’s road win in Dallas, the Dream return home Sunday to face the defending champion Las Vegas Aces at 1:30 p.m. at State Farm Arena.
-
Sports22 seconds agoSky vs Mercury betting preview: Why the over 166.5 looks like the play in this WNBA matchup
-
Technology6 minutes agoIs that traffic ticket text a scam or real?
-
Business12 minutes agoAltadena’s latest roadblock to rebuilding: Sewage
-
Entertainment18 minutes agoBreaking down Drake’s Temu haul of an album drop
-
Lifestyle24 minutes agoL.A. Affairs: He wanted to get kinky. But was his Madonna-whore complex a deal-breaker?
-
Politics30 minutes agoReport: Conditions at immigrant detention centers in California have worsened under Trump
-
Sports42 minutes agoPrep talk: Granada Hills coach Tom Harp goes for another boys’ volleyball title
-
World54 minutes agoSpanish row fuels north–south tensions ahead of tough EU budget talks