Sports Illustrated has predicted that Michael Penix Jr. will have a tremendous season in Atlanta, but is the hype too much, too soon? Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated has predicted that Michael Penix Jr.

The Atlanta Falcons are less than a week away from kicking off training camp for the 2025 NFL season. After spending last year as the backup to Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr. enters the season as the team's starting quarterback. The former first-round pick appeared in five games (three starts) as a rookie.

The Atlanta Falcons haven't reached the playoffs since 2017 -- a seven-year skid that ranks among the NFL's longest, trailing only the New York Jets (14 years). But with second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. taking the reins in 2025, some in Atlanta aren't just thinking postseason -- they're thinking Super Bowl.