Who Should I Start? Mac Jones or Michael Penix Jr.

Sunday, August 10, 5:33 AM

The San Francisco 49ers opened the preseason with the newly acquired Mac Jones under center. Jones made a good first impression on his new fanbase, captaining a 71-yard drive that culminated in a score. On the drive, Jones dropped a deep pass over the shoulder of Jordan Watkins, who stretched the play into a 50-yard gain. A few plays later, Jones kept the drive alive with his legs on a designed run on 4th & 1 at Denver's seven-yard line, setting the table for running back Patrick Taylor's touchdown. Things turned south during the second drive, however. Jones took sacks on consecutive plays and nearly suffered a third before throwing the ball away. The former first-rounder went on to kill the 49ers' third drive with an interception on his final play of the day. He finished 4-for-7 for 74 yards and the pick and a two-yard rush. His next chance to show what he can do in Brock Purdy's stead comes next week against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Tuesday, August 12, 10:08 AM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will not play in the team's second preseason game on Friday, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi. Backup quarterback Kirk Cousins is also unlikely to play, although it has not been completely ruled out by the team. Neither Penix Jr. nor Cousins played in Atlanta's first preseason game against the Detroit Lions last Friday, leaving Easton Stick and Emory Jones to handle signal-calling duties. Penix Jr. has a long injury history dating back to his time in college, so it makes sense why the team would want to be cautious with him in the preseason despite his limited NFL experience as a starter (three games).