It doesn’t happen every day, but a future NFL Hall of Famer is doing something completely out of character, admitting he was wrong. When the Atlanta Falcons opened 0-2, scoring just 16 points in 2 games as they lost to the Steelers in Week 1 and 34-3 against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2, Gronk didn’t expect much out of Atlanta coming into this season. However, Michael Penix Jr. had other ideas at Lambeau Field.
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The QB marched into Green Bay and, after an opening-drive interception, threw for 256 yards and 27 straight unanswered points in a historic performance, totaling 498 yards of offense as the Packers lost their 13-game consecutive home opening-day winning streak dating back to 2013. Rob Gronkowski, after watching this, had no choice but to give Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons his “I Owe You an Apology Award” for the week.
The former NFL TE took the hot seat on the Up & Adams Show and backtracked from what he had said earlier.
“I thought the Atlanta Falcons that they had a good chance of going like 0-16, 0-17 this year. I misread Michael Penix Jr. I felt like just watching the first two games that he was in the same category as, like, Cooper Rush, but I forgot he is a pretty solid quarterback and he is a starter in this NFL. If he can just stay healthy, the Atlanta Falcons then have a chance, and I just saw them even being completely trash still even if he came back and started, but I was wrong on that. Michael Penix Jr. is legit, and if he keeps playing like that, I totally misread this team.”
Gronkowski’s initial projection came when Penix was finalizing his recovery from a partially torn ACL, which he suffered back in November of 2025. In his absence during the first two games, Rush completed just 143 yards and was intercepted twice during the Week 1 loss to the Steelers, stalling out the offense and setting the Falcons up for an uninspiring 0-2 start under new HC Kevin Stefanski.
Penix returned to the field on Thursday Night Football at Lambeau Field, completing 18 of 25 passes for 256 yards and a passing TD in a 35-14 blowout win over the Packers. The victory unlocked the Falcons’ rushing attack as Bijan Robinson piled up 194 rushing yards and 2 TDs, while wideout Drake London exploded for 194 receiving yards.
The QB also brought an emotional spark to the locker room, as Jessie Bates III explained on the field after the win,
“That dude was crying. He was trying to get back, dying to get back. I know how much it means to him, and I know how much he means to this locker room.”
Next, the Falcons will face their AFC South divisional rivals, the New Orleans Saints, at the Caesars Superdome on Monday Night Football in Week 4. Both AFC South franchises are currently 1-2 and have a chance to top the division rankings if they win on Monday.