Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. was standing in line for a Costco hot dog when team called him

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. thought he would get to spend a normal Tuesday night at Costco with his girlfriend.

Then, the rookie got a call that would change his plans: Head coach Raheem Morris named Penix Jr. as the Falcons’ starting quarterback moving forward this season.

“As you can imagine, there were some nerves, some excitement. Just super blessed to be in this position. Super blessed to be on this team for the opportunity,” Penix Jr. said.

“I was actually getting a hot dog. Whenever I got the call, I wasn’t hungry no more so,” he added.

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Morris made the call Tuesday to go with Penix and bench Kirk Cousins, calling it a “football decision.”

On Wednesday at the team’s headquarters in Flowery Branch, Channel 2′s Alison Mastrangelo asked Morris why he felt he needed to make the change now.

“The turnovers. You can’t turn the ball over in the National Football League and expect to win. You got to stop those things. That was a big part of it and some other things in there, too,” he said.

Morris seemed a little surprised about having to bench Cousins at this point in the season.

In the first half of the season, the Falcons were winning games and sat in first place in the division. Then in the second half of the season, Cousins’ play changed.

Cousins said he knows it was turnovers that led to his benching. He also reiterated that he doesn’t have any physical limitations and that he wasn’t playing hurt.

“I didn’t forget how to play quarterback,” Cousins said. “Certainly turnovers were not what you want, but I didn’t forget how to play.”

Cousins told Mastrangelo that he called Penix Jr. after he received the news to get out in front of a difficult conversation.

“I talked to Mike last night and just let him I would be in his corner and support him and help him in any way I can,” he said.

Penix Jr. said he’s been mentally prepared in case the day like Tuesday ever came.

“I wasn’t going to be surprised by it or anything. Not saying it’s something I expected, but at the end of the day, I just wanted to be ready,” he said.

Penix Jr. says he has at least 35 ticket requests from family and friends for Sunday’s game. They all want to be there for his first NFL start against the New York Giants at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.