There are a lot of questions heading into the Minnesota Vikings’ Sunday Night affair against the Atlanta Falcons.
We can start with how Minnesota’s improved run defense (76.5 PFF grade in Week 1, third in the NFL) will fare against Bijan Robinson, one of the best running backs in the league. One might also wonder how Falcons first-round pick Jalon Walker can get through against a beefed-up Vikings offensive line.
When it all comes down to it, it’s a matchup of J.J. McCarthy versus Michael Penix Jr.
The two quarterbacks have taken similar paths. Both have dealt with severe leg injuries in their careers. McCarthy’s torn meniscus kept him out all of last year, while Penix tore his ACL twice in college. Minnesota picked McCarthy 10th in the 2024 draft, but to everyone’s surprise, the Falcons took Penix two spots ahead of McCarthy after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason.
For as similar as the two QBs’ NFL careers have been, their journey to get here couldn’t have been more different. McCarthy earned the starting job at Michigan in his sophomore year and never looked back, going 27-1 and winning a National Championship as a junior.
On the other hand, Penix had a season-ending injury all four years at Indiana, but he was impressive when he was on the field. Most remember his improbable two-point conversion that knocked off eighth-ranked Penn State, or his 491-yard, five-touchdown performance against third-ranked Ohio State. That was enough for Washington to want him in 2022, and he spent the next two seasons leading all of FBS in passing yards and earning Heisman consideration.
Penix completed 27 of 42 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, including an acrobatic four-yard rushing score that gave his team the lead late in the fourth quarter. He also engineered a last-minute drive to put the Falcons in field goal range to tie the game, but looked on as Younghoe Koo missed the 44-yarder and dropped them to 0-1.
The 25-year-old has looked good to start his NFL career. He started the final three games of last season, and the Falcons blew out the New York Giants and lost two overtime heartbreakers. The second start of his career was on Sunday Night Football, as he and fellow rookie Jayden Daniels traded blows through five quarters. The Falcons elected to keep him as the starter over Cousins this season after Cousins’ lackluster performances (47 QBR, league-leading 16 interceptions) led to his benching last year.
Penix will have his work cut out for him this Sunday. His top two receivers, Drake London and Darnell Mooney, are nursing shoulder injuries and were limited at practice throughout the week. Fellow receiver Casey Washington has a concussion and may not suit up. He’s going to need all the help he can get going against Brian Flores’ defense.
The primetime experience may help Penix, but the home-field atmosphere McCarthy is walking into will only elevate his game. Sunday night is the first opportunity Vikings fans have to see McCarthy in game action, and there’s no doubt that one of the loudest crowds in the NFL will be in attendance.
McCarthy’s Week 1 started slow. He only threw for 48 yards in the first half with two first downs and no third-down conversions. That all changed in the fourth when McCarthy led the Vikings back from a 17-6 deficit to win the game and silence his doubters. He showed, at least for one week, what made him such an intriguing prospect coming out of college: The kid just wins.
JJ MCCARTHY LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
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The Penix-McCarthy matchup is what makes this a primetime game. It’s a rematch of the 2024 CFP Championship, and it features two QBs who wear No. 9, who have gone through perilous journeys to get where they are now. It will be the first Sunday Night Football matchup ever where both QBs have five starts or fewer in their career.
McCarthy will have the upper hand on Sunday night. Playing at home will be an advantage, but Penix has more familiarity with Atlanta’s system and the NFL. Everyone describes McCarthy as a winner, but Penix has won almost as many games as his counterpart.
The QBs will ultimately be the deciders of who wins, which is only fitting for a matchup that will feature two of the league’s up-and-coming stars.