Atlanta, GA
Geno Smith Touts ‘Special’ Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. After NFL Debut
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.
“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.
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.
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.
“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.”
Kinley reunited with the Braves on Saturday when he agreed to a one-year, $4.25 million deal. The right-handed reliever will draw a $3 million salary in 2026; his $5.5
Atlanta Hawks (19-21, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (21-18, eighth in the Western Conference)
San Francisco; Sunday, 8:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Golden State will try to keep its three-game home win streak alive when the Warriors face Atlanta.
The Warriors are 13-5 on their home court. Golden State is 9-12 against opponents over .500.
The Hawks have gone 12-10 away from home. Atlanta ranks second in the league scoring 17.6 fast break points per game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker leads the Hawks averaging 3.9.
The Warriors average 15.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.8 more made shots on average than the 13.1 per game the Hawks give up. The Hawks average 14.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.4 more made shots on average than the 12.1 per game the Warriors allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jimmy Butler III is averaging 19.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists for the Warriors. Stephen Curry is averaging 25.7 points and 5.1 assists over the past 10 games.
Onyeka Okongwu is averaging 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Hawks. Jalen Johnson is averaging 21.1 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Warriors: 7-3, averaging 120.1 points, 42.5 rebounds, 30.4 assists, 8.9 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.0 points per game.
Hawks: 4-6, averaging 116.9 points, 42.4 rebounds, 31.9 assists, 10.1 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.0 points.
INJURIES: Warriors: Seth Curry: out (thigh).
Hawks: Kristaps Porzingis: out (achilles), Zaccharie Risacher: out (knee), CJ McCollum: out (quad), N’Faly Dante: out for season (knee), Corey Kispert: out (hamstring).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Friday evening forecast: Rain train en route
A powerful weather system is currently moving through North Georgia, replacing unseasonable record warmth with heavy rain and potential severe storms. The FOX 5 Storm Team is tracking a “rain train” of moisture that could dump over 4 inches of rain in some areas, prompting active flood warnings across the region.
ATLANTA – A powerful weather front is moving into metro Atlanta, prompting officials to expand flood watches as “wave-after-wave” of heavy rain threatens to saturate the region through Saturday.
The FOX 5 Storm Team warn that storm totals could reach four inches in some areas, with isolated spots in North Georgia potentially seeing up to six inches.
Flood Watch in northwest Georgia
What we know:
A Flood Watch is currently in effect through Saturday evening for a large portion of North Georgia. The region is bracing for widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches. Some areas could see locally higher amounts reaching up to 6 inches before a cold front moves through Saturday afternoon to end the threat.
“The rain train is wide open and here it comes,” said FOX 5 Storm Team chief meteorologist David Chandley. “We got waves of rain tonight and storms. They’re going to be with us tonight and right on through Saturday.”
In the northwest, the watch includes Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Dade, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Lumpkin, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Towns, Union, Walker, White, and Whitfield counties.
KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST BY DOWNLOADING THE FREE FOX 5 STORM TEAM APP AND FOLLOWING @FOX5STORMTEAM ON X
Flooding risk, high winds
Local perspective:
Thunderstorms expected overnight and into early Saturday morning are a primary concern.
The primary concern for North Georgia remains damaging winds and heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding. While the threat of severe weather is lower Friday night, the FOX 5 Storm Team expects conditions to change as the front arrives Saturday morning.
“Flooding [is] possible in Northwest Georgia with that severe threat,” Chandley said. “I expect we may see some of those [flash flood warnings] across North Georgia late tonight and early tomorrow because that ground is going to be saturated.”
A Level 1 “marginal risk” for severe storms has been issued for most of the area, though regions near Columbus face a slightly higher “slight risk.” Forecasters noted that while the atmosphere currently lacks the instability for massive thunderstorms, a “brief, spin-up tornado” cannot be ruled out on Saturday.
What’s next:
Sunday: Windy and much colder, with highs struggling to reach the 40s and 50s.
Monday: Temperatures are expected to plummet into the 20s by Monday morning.
The Source: This article contains an original forecast by the FOX 5 Storm Team.
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