Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t set the world on fire in his first two starts. He lost a Week 17 contest that was critical to the Atlanta Falcons’ playoff hopes but has played solid football. He showcased his potential on his game-tying and nearly game-winning drives at the end of the fourth quarter. However, according to Ryan Fitzpatrick, Penix Jr. is going to struggle against the Carolina Panthers in week 18.
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On the Tuesday episode of the Fitz & Whit podcast, Fitzpatrick claimed Penix Jr. would have a terrible conclusion to his rookie campaign. This troubling finish, in Fitzpatrick’s mind, is due because of Penix Jr.’s recent engagement to Olivia Carter.
“One word of caution on Michael Penix [Jr.] I gotta throw this out there: he got engaged. And getting engaged during your rookie year is dangerous… it’s not the first game you play; it’s not the second game. It’s the dreaded third game.”
Once Fitzpatrick brilliantly built up the moment, he dove into the weeds of personal experience to explain why Penix Jr. “will” have a rough showing in the regular season finale.
“The precedent of this: my rookie year, I get engaged. First game… light the world on fire… second game was okay. That dreaded third game, your rookie season after your engagement. Went to Minnesota, playing for the St. Louis Rams at the time: 26/35, 235 yards, zero touchdown, five interceptions… Michael Penix Jr., look out.”
Tuesday’s conversation wasn’t the first time Fitzpatrick’s career-worst game has been brought up this season. He didn’t seem to be setting up a joke at his own expense when he began discussing a potential jinx, but made Whitworth chuckle in the end.
Fortunately for Penix Jr., he may have a brief reprieve from Fitzpatrick’s rumored curse. His engagement came on Dec. 24, two days after he made his first NFL start against the New York Giants. This would make his week 18 appearance his second game following engagement, not his third.
If Atlanta slips into the playoffs, Fitzpatrick’s prediction would probably come true in a matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. Otherwise, Penix Jr. can waste his “third start after engagement” in the 2025 preseason.
