Michael Penix Jr. said he “did a poor job” of protecting the football in the rain at Raymond James Stadium, where he threw four interceptions in the Atlanta Falcons’ 16-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Penix was 8 of 24 for 125 yards with no touchdowns, and Atlanta went 0 for 12 on third down. “I ain’t never thrown four picks in a game,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Penix started with the rain. “Man, the conditions are what the conditions are, right? Both teams had to play in it,” he said. “As a quarterback, the leader, I got to protect the ball. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to win these games, and did a poor job of that today.”
A homecoming that “kind of sucked”
A reporter asked whether the day was tougher because it was a homecoming game and the Falcons were coming off a win. “Yeah, it is tough,” Penix said. “I had a lot of family in the stands, so for them to see that performance, a performance I never had in my life, it kind of sucked. But we’re going to shake back.”
Asked how he shakes it off, he kept it short. “Just put my head down and keep working,” he said. Later he came back to it. “It’s all good, man. I’m going to shake back. I promise you I will.”
“They were the better team today”
Penix said the message after the game was simple. “The conditions were the conditions. They were the better team today, and they had the least amount of turnovers,” he said. “Whenever the conditions are like this, you can’t turn the ball over. You got to do your best to make sure you protect the ball.” The Buccaneers turned the ball over once, when Bucky Irving fumbled into the end zone for a touchback. Atlanta turned it over four times.
He gave credit to his teammates on defense. “Our defense played great, so we just kind of put them in a lot of bad spots,” Penix said.
Todd Bowles’ looks and the first two picks
A reporter asked about Todd Bowles’ defense and the looks it throws at quarterbacks. Penix said this week was different. “He actually didn’t throw a whole bunch of looks at us this week. They played a lot more coverage, didn’t blitz as much,” he said, “but usually, yes, he does throw a lot of looks at you.” Asked if it was the rain or his own play, he said: “Just a strange game.”
The first two interceptions both went to Alex Anzalone, the first when he stepped in front of a throw for Drake London. Penix credited the defender but put the blame on himself. “The second one, just a good play again,” he said. “Ain’t no excuses. I got to protect the ball.”
Next stop: Madrid
Atlanta is 3-5 and plays the Cincinnati Bengals at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid on Sunday, November 8, with kickoff at 3:30 p.m. Madrid time, which is 4:30 p.m. in Cairo. “We got to correct a lot of things that happened this game and be ready to move forward and go out there and attack this game out there in Madrid,” Penix said. “We’re excited for the opportunity.”
Asked about the rest of the season, Penix said it is too early to draw conclusions. “It’s still up for anybody,” he said. “We just got to keep playing our game.”
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