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Mina Kimes calls for Atlanta Falcons to start Michael Penix Jr.

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Mina Kimes calls for Atlanta Falcons to start Michael Penix Jr.


Former Washington Huskies star Michael Penix Jr. has seen action in just two games during his rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons: he made his NFL debut and came in in relief during a blowout loss to the Denver Broncos.

While sitting behind Kirk Cousins after being selected with the No. 8 overall pick may not have been the future Penix envisioned for himself during his final year with the Huskies, general manager Terry Fontenot has repeatedly stated he chose Penix when considering his team’s long-term future.

With the Falcons sitting at 6-6, tied for first in the NFC South, and coming off a 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, ESPN’s Mina Kimes believes it’s time for Penix to get his opportunity and infuse some life into a struggling Atlanta offense.

“I’ve felt like his physical limitations are holding this offense back,” Kimes said of Cousins on NFL Live. “You drafted Michael Penix Jr. No. 8 overall…I will criticize that decision infinitely more if they don’t give Penix a shot this season. You’re throwing away a season where not only do you have a chance to win the division, but you could potentially go farther if you see something with the young quarterback.”

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Cousins, who is 35 years old and coming off a torn Achilles tendon, has looked the part of an ailing veteran for the majority of the season. He threw 4 interceptions in the loss to the Chargers and has thrown no touchdown passes and 6 picks in the last three weeks.

Despite being No. 5 in the NFL in passing yards with 3,052, the underlying numbers for Cousins are concerning to say the least, especially for a player who’s in the first season of a four-year, $180 million contract. He leads the league with 13 interceptions and has been able to muster a meager 21.4 points per game despite having a strong supporting cast around him.

Three of Atlanta’s final five regular season games are against some of the NFL’s worst defenses: the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, and Carolina Panthers, and could give Penix a great opportunity to prove himself if head coach Raheem Morris and the front office feel that it’s time for a change.





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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta featured the Kentucky fan base at its finest

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Atlanta featured the Kentucky fan base at its finest


Walking around the streets of downtown Atlanta around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, it looked like a gathering for the largest Kentucky quarter-zip convention in the world. If Nashville brought out all the flannels, Atlanta provided a more Southern sophistication vibe. But no matter what they were wearing, Big Blue Nation was at its finest.

In Nashville against Gonzaga, fans booed when Kentucky didn’t play well. Many debates on how appropriate that was have taken place since, but the booing wasn’t a few inebriated jerks in the corner starting trouble with others joining in out of a mob mentality. The booing in Nashville was organic and flowed from all nooks of the arena. It was the manifestation of frustration from watching Kentucky players fumble around on the court in their souls and let it be known.

When Kentucky’s offense looked once again anemic against St. John’s, fans in Atlanta hung in there. The only booing was directed at the officials for perceived bad calls, not at the players’ inability to score. Kentucky’s effort helped play a part in that, as fans could tell guys were at least trying hard (unlike against Gonzaga). But you could tell the arena accepted this group’s limitations, especially without Jaland Lowe.

So when Lowe made his unbelievable return to the game after what everyone assumed was a season-ending reinjury of his shoulder, there was a palpable shift from fans willing their offensively challenged try-hards to scrape together some points, to maybe just maybe, thinking their team might actually be kind of good.

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The stagnancy that plagued Kentucky in the first half evaporated into motion with drives and cuts that made Kentucky look crisp. When Jayden Quaintence made his debut and looked every bit of the future NBA lottery pick we hoped he would, fans cheered his every move. At its heart, Big Blue Nation is a group of ball-knowers, and the collective appreciation the fans had when Quaintence would make even a routine defensive post play showed just how much fans are still into this team.

The full-throated cheers in the second half made everyone forget the woes of the first half, and most of this season, honestly. It was the first time since the Purdue exhibition that Kentucky fans cheered not just because the ‘Cats were playing well, but because they started to believe in this team again.



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Atlanta, GA

Man shot at Atlanta airport, police say

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Man shot at Atlanta airport, police say


ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A man is injured after a shooting inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday, according to Atlanta Police.

The man is alert, conscious, breathing and was transported to the hospital for treatment, according to police.

No other injuries were reported.

Airport operations were not affected, according to police.

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This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.



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Atlanta, GA

Davante Adams Will Not Play Week 17 Versus Atlanta

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Davante Adams Will Not Play Week 17 Versus Atlanta


Davante Adams will now miss a second straight game on December 29th as Sean McVay announced he did not expect Adams to return for the Week 17 Monday Night Football game. Adams is currently battling a hamstring injury. While it is not season ending, it is enough to keep the wide receiver out for the most crucial stretch for fantasy football owners.

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Roll Out The Beautiful Touchdown Stat

If anyone wonders what Adams provides that is so top notch. Check this statline out.

Adams may not play another down in the regular season and could still lead the league in touchdowns. A lot can happen over the next few weeks but anything is possible. Still, 14 touchdowns in 15 games is impressive. That is a big dent in production and hurts fantasy football owners even more.

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What Other Impacts May This Have?

In Week 16 against the Seattle Seahawks, the offense ran through Puka Nacua and Colby Parkinson. Nacua was amazing with 225 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He was targeted 16 times and caught 12 passes from Matthew Stafford. Nacua could be in line for another incredible game against Atlanta. The Falcons have been giving up more passing yards of late and 419 to Carolina in Week 11).

A question mark may be Colby Parkinson. Parkinson was in line to get more looks with Adams out but he only had two receptions for 21 yards on four targets. That was surprising. Stafford and Nacua had tunnel vision. Four players besides Nacua had more than four targets. The likelihood that Stafford throws 49 passes is low against Atlanta. Will they run more than 35 times? That is at least possible.

Never sit Matthew Stafford especially this season. Even in defeat to Seattle, he threw for 457 yards and three touchdowns. It should have been enough for a win and yet this was not. The Rams’ defense and particularly secondary should cause Stafford some pause. He has to wonder what it might take to win from week to week now.

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The one area that did cause the Rams some trouble at times was throwing in the red zone against Seattle. After all, Harrison Mevis did have to attempt four field goals (he made three) in the loss. There were a few times where one wondered gee Adams would have scored on that play. Despite that, Los Angeles did still score 37 points against Seattle.

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Who Should You Stream In Place Of Adams?

Honestly, the good news is with this many days notice, fantasy football owners do not have to scramble quite as feverishly here. Some teams will let off the gas while others want to see what they have with younger players. Simply, options will be out there. Look toward our wide receiver streamer article that comes out during the week.

It is hard to believe but we are almost to the fantasy football finish line. This has been some year and good luck as the fantasy footbal season approaches its end.

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