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Steven RuizAug 27, 2026

In a retrospective tiering of all 32 starting quarterbacks, Ruiz treats Michael Penix Jr. as the Falcons' Week 1 starter over Kirk Cousins, whom they place in their lowest tier.

Published in writing · Fox SportsRead the original

0Miss · out of 100

Depth Chart CallsThe callsettled

0A naive guessthe same call, no knowledge

0This callout of 100

0Skillafter difficulty

What Steven Ruiz said

...just ask Falcons fans how excited they are by the prospect of Michael Penix Jr. starting in Week 1 and then remind yourself that Cousins couldn't beat him out a year ago.

Our reading: Michael Penix Jr. to be 1st on the depth chart

Where it was published: Fox Sports
The piece: 2026 NFL Quarterback Tiers: Which Starters Are Elite And Who Should Be A Backup?
The original: Read the original
Read it wrong?: Tell us and we will look

SaidAug 27
PlayedSep 13
GradedSep 17

How the call scored

a naive guessbetter than naive

One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.

It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

The call scored 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess at the same calls.

The call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same call; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.

Depth Chart Calls Michael Penix Jr.Atlanta Falcons
Michael Penix Jr. to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictMiss
0Miss · naive 0
0this call0a naive guess0better than naive2difficulty0skill
How this was scored
club:
ATL
week:
1
skill:
0
player:
Michael Penix Jr.
season:
2026
claimed:
he starts
accuracy:
0
baseline:
0
reported:
he did not play that week
naive slot:
1
settled by:
weekly snap counts (he took no snap in the game)
difficulty:
2
the naive guess:
he keeps the job he had last season
weeks in the season:
18
weeks left when called:
18
Think this is wrong?

The game in this take

every pundit’s pick on each

Falcons at SteelersSteelers 20Falcons 1327 calls →

Who this take is about

Make your own calls.Pick every open claim on Picks →

Others on the same people

Alex Curry · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Curry expects Fernando Mendoza to be taken No. 1 overall by the Raiders and to be thrown into the starting lineup immediately, and they say Kirk Cousins will be released by Atlanta within weeks.
Alex Curry · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Curry expects Fernando Mendoza to be the No. 1 overall pick and land with the Raiders, and they say Kirk Cousins will be released by Atlanta.
JP Acosta · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Acosta expects John Harbaugh's Giants to jump to roughly seven wins in year one, and forecast several offseason moves: Aaron Rodgers returning to Pittsburgh, Daniel Jones returning to the Colts, Kirk Cousins being released by Atlanta, and Brandon Aiyuk leaving San Francisco.
Gregg Rosenthal · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Rosenthal gave their award ballot: Drake May atop their MVP list (though they expect Matthew Stafford to actually win), Myles Garrett for Defensive Player of the Year, Bijan Robinson for Offensive Player of the Year, Tetairoa McMillan for Offensive Rookie of the Year, Carson Schwesinger for Defensive Rookie of the Year, Mike Macdonald for Coach of the Year and Broncos O-line coach Zach Strief for Assistant Coach of the Year. They also expect Kirk Cousins to be cut by Atlanta.
Parker Hurley · Trade and Signing Calls · Jessie Bates · Miss 0
Hurley argues a Jessie Bates trade to San Francisco is unrealistic because Atlanta remains in the weak NFC South race and likely won't sell, and they expect 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown to depart in free agency after this season.
Carter Bahns · Score Predictions · Atlanta Falcons · Miss 19
Bahns predicts a high-scoring Madrid game in which Atlanta's more reliable defense, bolstered by the return of pass rusher James Pearce Jr., gets the edge over Cincinnati, with the Falcons winning 34-30.

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Garrett Podell · Depth Chart Calls · Carson Beck · Miss 0
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