They’ve a lot in widespread, it is solely pure there could be a connection between Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the Falcons’ Michael Penix Jr.
They’re second-year quarterbacks, drafted two spots aside final 12 months and getting their first style of the September NFL highlight. And that is after having battled one another for a nationwide championship and each pushing by damage to now meet once more on the sector Sunday in Minnesota.
“I really like Michael,” McCarthy mentioned Wednesday, contemporary off being named NFC Offensive Participant of the Week for his NFL debut efficiency. “Simply having the ability to be with him in the course of the pre-draft course of, to actually perceive his course of and who he’s as a person, and his persona, it is no shock he is within the place he is in proper now. I am extraordinarily excited to see him once more and compete in opposition to him. He is an important participant, and it may be an excellent take a look at for our protection.”
Penix, who fell simply wanting victory in opposition to the Bucs on Sunday in his fourth NFL begin, has the identical respect for McCarthy.
“He’s a cool individual — good man off the sector as properly,” Penix mentioned. “Clearly, on the sector, you see what he can do. However I skilled with him as properly pre-draft, all that prep. I used to be with him on daily basis. So, attending to know him a little bit bit, he is a real man and a man that may make soccer performs.”
The final time the 2 squared off, there was much more on the road. In January 2024, Michigan and McCarthy beat Washington and Penix for the CFP Nationwide Championship. McCarthy did not need to do an excessive amount of, primarily handing off to 2 100-yard rushers, Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, and throwing for 140 yards. In the meantime, Penix, the 2023 Heisman Trophy runner-up, threw 51 passes for 255 yards, with a landing and two interceptions.
Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy celebrates successful the 2024 CFP Nationwide Championship Sport at NRG Stadium in Houston. (Photograph by CFP/Getty Photos)
“He had my Heisman vote, I’m not gonna lie,” McCarthy mentioned days earlier than that sport. “Michael Penix, every thing that he’s been by, all of the adversities battled by, his accidents and simply persevering with to stay to the method and hold urgent on.
“That’s one thing that Coach [Jim Harbaugh] at all times talks about: The long run favors those that press on. And he’s an ideal epitome of that. … I simply have a lot respect for him.”
Michael Penix Jr. took to the air to attempt to beat J.J. McCarthy and Michigan within the 2024 title sport, however the Huskies got here up quick. (Photograph by David Buono/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos)
Penix, 25, performed not more than six video games in any of his 4 seasons at Indiana as a consequence of knee and shoulder accidents, then rose to prominence in his two years at Washington. McCarthy, 22, had a wholesome three years at Michigan however needed to take care of a season misplaced to a knee damage as an NFL rookie, delaying his debut by a 12 months.
Each are recognized for his or her arms however made a few of their largest performs in Week 1 with their legs. Penix, dealing with a fourth-and-2 on the Bucs’ 3-yard line within the fourth quarter, leaped on the sidelines for a primary down, after which did the identical on fourth-and-goal, stretching out and simply barely getting the ball into the top zone for a go-ahead landing. The Bucs would rally for a rating of their very own to win 23-20.
McCarthy was extra lucky, together with his 14-yard scramble for a landing offering the successful margin within the Vikings’ comeback victory over the Bears in Chicago, lower than 20 miles from his hometown.
READ MORE: ‘We Knew He Had That Canine in Him:’ Inside J.J. McCarthy’s Debut Comeback Win
The 2 quarterbacks watched final 12 months as 4 different QBs taken within the first spherical — Washington’s Jayden Daniels, Chicago’s Caleb Williams, Denver’s Bo Nix and New England’s Drake Maye — made spectacular impacts as rookies. Penix went eighth to the Falcons and McCarthy tenth to the Vikings, so in the course of the pre-draft course of, each groups hung out evaluating the quarterback they’re going to now face on Sunday.
“Michael Penix is a man that we studied lots, know him very properly, and understand how proficient he’s as a thrower of the soccer,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned. “He actually excelled on the collegiate degree, pushing the ball downfield, discovering his receivers and throwing guys open and discovering methods to have huge quantities of explosives from the pocket.
“What I feel individuals are beginning to find out about him is his capacity to have an effect on the sport together with his athleticism. Sunday was an important instance of that. … He discovered a solution to get the ball in the long run zone. I believed he was a driving pressure behind that sport being so aggressive. It was spectacular.”
Each Penix and McCarthy are first-year full-time starters on NFC groups with playoff aspirations. The Vikings play in one of many NFL’s hardest divisions, and the Falcons are attempting to finish a seven-year playoff drought. A rivalry that began with a nationwide title on the road continues Sunday, and in a scheduling quirk, their groups will meet once more subsequent season in Minnesota.
McCarthy’s wonderful fourth quarter in opposition to the Bears — three touchdowns, a primary for any participant in his NFL debut — got here after a tough begin that included a pick-six for Chicago. Falcons coach Raheem Morris mentioned he targeted on the outcome and McCarthy’s central function in Minnesota’s 27-24 victory.
“He is a confirmed winner,” Morris mentioned. “He is gone out and received on the collegiate degree, his first sport as a professional. I feel he simply goes out and simply performs soccer and does what he is presupposed to do. Everyone is aware of on this sport there’s going to be ups and downs. It would not matter how he began, it is actually how he completed.”
Although they’re simply getting began, that would already describe each McCarthy and Penix. In spite of everything, the longer term favors those that press on.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand spent a decade overlaying the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Occasions and The Athletic. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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