They have so much in common, it’s only natural there would be a connection between Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the Falcons‘ Michael Penix Jr.
They are second-year quarterbacks, drafted two spots apart last year and getting their first taste of the September NFL spotlight. And that’s after having battled each other for a national championship and both pushing through injury to now meet again on the field Sunday in Minnesota.
“I love Michael,” McCarthy said Wednesday, fresh off being named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his NFL debut performance. “Just being able to be with him during the pre-draft process, to really understand his process and who he is as a man, and his personality, it’s no surprise he’s in the position he’s in right now. I’m extremely excited to see him again and compete against him. He’s a great player, and it’s going to be a good test for our defense.”
Penix, who fell just short of victory against the Bucs on Sunday in his fourth NFL start, has the same respect for McCarthy.
“He’s a cool person — good guy off the field as well,” Penix said. “Obviously, on the field, you see what he can do. But I trained with him as well pre-draft, all that prep. I was with him every day. So, getting to know him a little bit, he’s a genuine guy and a guy that can make football plays.”
The last time the two squared off, there was even more on the line. In January 2024, Michigan and McCarthy beat Washington and Penix for the CFP National Championship. McCarthy didn’t have to do too much, mainly handing off to two 100-yard rushers, Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, and throwing for 140 yards. Meanwhile, Penix, the 2023 Heisman Trophy runner-up, threw 51 passes for 255 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy celebrates winning the 2024 CFP National Championship Game at NRG Stadium in Houston. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)
“He had my Heisman vote, I’m not gonna lie,” McCarthy said days before that game. “Michael Penix, everything that he’s been through, all the adversities battled through, his injuries and just continuing to stick to the process and keep pressing on.
“That’s something 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 recreation, however the Huskies got here up quick. (Photograph by David Buono/Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures)
Penix, 25, performed not more than six video games in any of his 4 seasons at Indiana on account 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 cope with a season misplaced to a knee damage as an NFL rookie, delaying his debut by a yr.
Each are recognized for his or her arms however made a few of their greatest performs in Week 1 with their legs. Penix, going through 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 tip 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 profitable 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 yr 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 frolicked evaluating the quarterback they’re going to now face on Sunday.
“Michael Penix is a man that we studied so much, know him very nicely, and understand how gifted he’s as a thrower of the soccer,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell stated. “He actually excelled on the collegiate degree, pushing the ball downfield, discovering his receivers and throwing guys open and discovering methods to have large quantities of explosives from the pocket.
“What I believe persons are beginning to study him is his capability to have an effect on the sport together with his athleticism. Sunday was an awesome instance of that. … He discovered a strategy to get the ball in the long run zone. I assumed he was a driving pressure behind that recreation 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 superb fourth quarter towards 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 stated he targeted on the end result and McCarthy’s central position in Minnesota’s 27-24 victory.
“He is a confirmed winner,” Morris stated. “He is gone out and received on the collegiate degree, his first recreation as a professional. I believe he simply goes out and simply performs soccer and does what he is speculated to do. Everyone is aware of on this recreation there’s going to be ups and downs. It does 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 any case, the long run 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 Instances and The Athletic. You may comply with him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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