New QB Rankings Paint Bleak Picture for Falcons in 2026
New QB Rankings Paint Bleak Picture for Falcons in 2026
The Atlanta Falcons are going into the season with Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. competing for the starting job. If PFF is to be believed, it might not matter who wins. Scott Kennedy|
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Atlanta FalconsTwo years ago, the Atlanta Falcons spent $100 million and a No. 8 overall draft pick to solve the quarterback problem that has plagued them since Matt Ryan's departure.
Unfortunately, two years later, they still find themselves in quarterback purgatory.
Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. will battle for the starting quarterback spot for the Falcons, and while there is potential, there isn't much recent success.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) released its quarterback rankings based on the last few seasons, and Tagovailoa checks in at No. 28, while Penix gets an honorable mention with the likes of Shedeur Sanders and J.J. McCarthy.
Looking around the rest of the NFC South, Baker Mayfield predictably leads the division at No. 18, with Bryce Young checking in at 20, and Tyler Shough in third at No. 24.
Tagovailoa has a history of success, but he hasn't found much in the last two years, helping to lead to his dismissal in Miami.
"The former Miami Dolphin was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, ranking fourth among qualifying quarterbacks in PFF WAR over that span," wrote PFF. "But he has been on a downward trajectory over the past two years, ranking 31st among 33 qualifying quarterbacks in PFF overall grade (67.9) since 2024."
Last week, Benjamin Solak of ESPN asked the question if Tagovailoa's decline was a blip or a trend. While he didn't think he'd ever hit the heights of his 2023 All-Pro season, it was easy enough to figure out that the personnel around Tagovailoa in Miami last year was lacking. Jaylen Waddle was the team's leading receiver, with running back Devon Achane coming in second.
After those two, it was journeyman tight end Greg Dulcich coming in third, who couldn't get on the field for the Denver Broncos or New York Giants in 2024. Tagovailoa will have a much better supporting cast, including a veteran offensive line, in Atlanta should he win the job.
Penix's grade was more of an incomplete, but that in itself has been a problem. In seven seasons as a starting quarterback, dating back to college, Penix has only finished two.
"He also underwhelmed on the field, as his 71.3% adjusted completion percentage ranked fourth-worst among qualifying quarterbacks with at least 300 dropbacks. Penix must now battle both his health and former Miami Dolphin Tua Tagovailoa to regain the starting job.
Penix was drafted because of his powerful left arm. He displayed that attribute to close his rookie season in a three-game cameo that excited Falcons fans heading into 2025. Then, he was handcuffed by former offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. The downfield passing game disappeared, and Penix was forced to run a predictable pistol formation with no semblance of play action.
The lack of play action was particularly frustrating for the Falcons, considering Robinson came from the LA Rams, who are the most play-action-heavy team in the NFL, and the Falcons have arguably the best running back in football.
In his first year with the Falcons, Kevin Stefanski must decide if he has a quarterback of the future on his team. Penix and Tagovailoa are 26 and 28, respectively, but they've both had problems staying on the field. If neither is convincing this season, the Falcons will be back in the quarterback market in the 2027 NFL Draft.
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Published 51 minutes ago
SCOTT KENNEDYScott is an Atlanta-based sports media professional with stints as Director of Scouting of Scout.com, VP of Content Production at Sports Illustrated, and Managing Editor at CBS Interactive / 247 Sports, among others.
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AI boom blows up Big Tech’s climate promises
Google logo on a building in New York. (Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press) - Share via
The greenhouse gas emissions of Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google spiked in 2025, pointing to a growing problem for the hyperscalers: reconciling their climate goals with the massive amount of energy required to power AI, much of it still generated from fossil fuels.
Amazon’s emissions rose 16% from 2024, the company said in a sustainability report released Wednesday. It emitted about 81 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent last year, roughly as much as the emissions from 19 million gas-powered cars on the road. The increase was driven by data center construction and fuel used for deliveries, the report said.
Google’s “ambition-based” emissions — a definition that excludes some parts of its supply chain — climbed 18% overall in 2025. Its Scope 1 emissions from its own operations, excluding purchased electricity, went up 20% compared to 2024, due in part to its expanding data center portfolio, the company said in its own sustainability report released Tuesday.
Amazon has a goal of reaching net zero by 2040, while Google is targeting 2030. As they balance AI’s power needs with sustainability, the companies report varying degrees of success.
Google’s electricity use went up by 37% last year, but it managed a small drop in its Scope 2 emissions from purchased power due to its sourcing of clean energy. Amazon, by contrast, said its emissions from buying electricity rose 34%.
Other tech giants are reckoning with the same challenge. Microsoft Corp. pledged to match 100% of its hourly electricity consumption with purchases of zero-carbon energy by 2030. Bloomberg News reported earlier this year that the company has weighed scaling back the commitment because of data center expansion.
Microsoft and Meta Platforms Inc., in their most recent reports published last year, cited emissions jumps of 23% and 64%, respectively. Meta set a net-zero target for 2030 across its entire value chain.
Data centers’ hunger for power is helping drive up utility bills and spurring investment in US fossil fuel infrastructure, including natural gas power plants. SpaceX is using gas turbines to run its AI data centers in Tennessee and Mississippi.
But producing the hardware, concrete and steel used in the facilities is also energy intensive. Google, in its new report, reported a 25% rise in Scope 3 or supply-chain emissions from 2024 that it attributed mostly to hardware manufacturing and data center construction.
Critics argue the industry should be doing more to curb its carbon footprint.
“We’re essentially in a climate crisis and we should not be having emissions growth at all, arguably, and yet the data centers are going in the opposite direction,” said Sasha Luccioni, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Sustainable AI Group, which works to measure and limit the environmental impact of the sector.
Amazon and Google both said they remain committed to their sustainability targets. Google’s report noted that its path to net zero will not be linear, “given our AI infrastructure build-out is currently accelerating faster than the grid is decarbonizing.”
“While the speed and scale of AI adoption is unique — and the change is happening faster and more broadly than anything else we’ve encountered in our lifetimes — the need to stay stubborn on our vision and flexible on the details is familiar territory,” Amazon’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst said in its report.
This spring, activist investors asked Amazon, Alphabet and Meta in shareholder proposals to explain how they’re reconciling surging electricity demand for AI with their climate commitments. None of the proposals earned majority support.
Raimonde and Soper write for Bloomberg.
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Tottenham confirm Mateus Fernandes deal as Tonali jets in from Milan
Sandro Tonali declared he is 'ready for this new adventure' as the Newcastle star travelled to London to complete a £100m move to Tottenham, minutes after Spurs announced the arrival of Mateus Fernandes.
Daily Mail Sport understands Tonali is set to sign a six-year deal at Tottenham, which could be worth around £275,000 per week.
Tottenham agreed terms on a £92.5million deal with Newcastle, with add-ons centred around Champions League qualification taking that fee to £100m.
Tonali spoke to reporters at Milan Linate Airport as he travelled to London to undergo a medical.
'We had a sort of agreement with Newcastle, we talked every day and we made it,' Tonali told Sky Sport Italia.
'They wanted the best from me, we wanted the best deal for them. We parted on excellent terms, we're all happy and I'm ready for this new adventure.
Sandro Tonali spoke to reporters outside Milan airport as the Newcastle midfielder travelled to London to complete a £100m move to Tottenham
Tottenham have completed the £85m signing of Mateus Fernandes as the club overhauls Roberto De Zerbi's midfield
'[Roberto] De Zerbi did a great job in all this and for a life choice with family after three years at Newcastle, last year our lives changed with our child's birth so we decided to change a bit our life and De Zerbi made a great difference, he did his job and he did it very well.
The Italian international is set to become part of a new-look Tottenham midfield under head coach De Zerbi.
Tonali will become Tottenham's record signing, surpassing the £85m they have paid to West Ham for Fernandes.
Fernandes' move was confirmed on Thursday morning, with the midfielder admitting De Zerbi was a key factor in his decision to sign for the club.
'I'm very excited for this next step,' Fernandes said.
'Spurs is a massive club and the head coach was a key part of why I have decided to join.
'When we spoke, it was very special. We look at football in the same way - going onto the pitch as a strong team, with fight and energy, to try and win every game.
'I can't wait to get started, to meet the fans, to meet everyone, and give everything for the club.'
Tonali said he leaves Newcastle on 'excellent terms' and is ready for a 'new adventure'
The Italian midfielder credited Roberto De Zerbi as a key factor for him making the move
De Zerbi added: 'I've admired Mateus for a long time because he combines quality on the ball with the intensity and intelligence that are so important in the way we want to play.
'Despite his age, he already has good experience in the Premier League and has shown quality and consistency at this level.
'Mateus is comfortable under pressure, can progress the ball, works hard for the team and has the courage to make things happen in difficult moments.
'I believe this is the ideal environment for him to continue his development and I'm excited to start working with him.'
The additions of Tonali and Fernandes will mark a significant boost for De Zerbi as he looks to rebuild a Spurs squad which has slumped to 17th-placed finishes in each of the last two seasons.
Ex-AC Milan captain Tonali made 110 appearances for Newcastle, scoring 10 goals, since signing for the club from the Italian giants back in 2023 in a deal worth £60m.
Just months after moving to the north-east, he received a 10-month suspension after being found guilty of breaching rules on gambling by the Italian Football Federation. He subsequently missed the rest of the season and the Euros that summer.
Fernandes has impressed in the past two seasons in the Premier League, despite suffering back-to-back relegations with Southampton and West Ham.
Tottenham beat Man United to the signing of Fernandes, who leaves West Ham following their relegation to the Championship
West Ham confirmed the 21-year-old's departure to their London rivals with a short statement on their website.
'West Ham United can confirm that Mateus Fernandes has completed a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur for an undisclosed fee.
'The 21-year-old Portugal international departs having made 38 appearances and scored four goals for the Hammers after joining from Southampton in the summer of 2025.
'West Ham United would like to thank Mateus for his service and wish him well for the future.
They have already agreed on free agents Martin Dubravka, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson while Jan Paul van Hecke arrived from Brighton for £52million.
Spurs also want to add a forward and a winger with Savinho of Manchester City still in their sights.
Despite interest from Nottingham Forest and Napoli, they have yet to receive a bid for wantaway midfielder Lucas Bergvall.
Tottenham did however accept a £50million offer from Brighton to sell Croatia centre back Luka Vuskovic.
