ATLANTA -- Michael Penix Jr. pump-faked and scrambled up the middle toward the goal line to evade pressure. With a defender wrapping up his right leg, Penix stretched out his left arm holding the ball and posted with his right arm, making sure his knee didn't touch the ground.
The ball broke the plane of the end zone. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback had a four-yard rushing touchdown that put his team ahead 20-17 against the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 2:17 left in the game Sunday.
Penix is known for special arm talent; he's not necessarily known for making plays like that with his legs. But that kind of ad-libbing wasn't necessarily a surprise for the coaching staff and Penix's teammates.
"I think it was great just seeing him dive like that," Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. said with a smile. "He looks a little taller than he is to be stretching like that. But that was great to see, [him] just putting the body on the line in the last two minutes."
The Falcons lost the game 23-20 after Baker Mayfield's dart of a 25-yard passing touchdown to rookie Emeka Egbuka and Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo's missed 44-yard field goal that would have sent the game into overtime in the closing seconds.
There were plenty of things Atlanta learned it needed to get better at -- from special teams, to the running game, to giving up big plays on defense. Penix and quarterback play was not one of those things.
Penix, in just his fourth career start, was fifth in the league among quarterbacks in dropback EPA (12.2), per Next Gen Stats. He was seventh in the NFL in QBR (83.7), per ESPN. His final line Sunday was 27-of-42 for 298 yards and two touchdowns, including that one on the ground.
He'll need another big game if the Falcons are to beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).
"I can't say enough positive things about him," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. "Him going out there and not turning the football over, getting us to the right read, the right protections, throwing the ball in the right areas, making the right plays at the right times. I mean, he was lights out and we got to help that kid and win games."
After leading the Falcons on an 18-play, 91-yard drive over 8:46 capped by his rushing touchdown, Penix got the team within field-goal range for Koo, who missed the kick. It was reminiscent of Week 17 last year, when Penix tied the game late on a fourth down throw to Pitts, and then did enough to get close to field-goal range for a winning score -- before a missed Riley Patterson try.
Falcons veteran left tackle Jake Matthews praised Penix after the game Sunday as a leader on the field.
"What I've noticed from him is he's just so calm and collected under pressure and just makes plays when his number is called," Matthews said. "And to have someone like that on your team is really special."
There were certainly some things to correct. After Penix's pass in the flat to running back Bijan Robinson (that Robinson took 50 yards for a touchdown), the Falcons offense sputtered a bit. Penix was 0-for-7 on throws that traveled more than 15 air yards, which is usually his bread and butter. He also still misses too many throws, as Penix was 18th in complete percentage over expected (-0.0%).
There were surely more positives than negatives at the quarterback position -- and that's a bright spot after a disappointing afternoon when the Falcons lost a winnable game against a team that has won the last four NFC South titles.
"The NFL man, it is tough," Penix said. "It's tough to score. It's tough to win in this league. But yeah man, obviously we all put in all the preparation each and every day coming up to the game to go out there and execute in those big-time moments and not have that lull throughout the game after we got that first touchdown.
"But at the same time, on the other side of the field, those are NFL players as well and those guys make plays just how we make plays and obviously we want to make more and come out on top, but today they got the better of us."