The Atlanta Falcons are headed into their biggest game of the season in a rivalry showdown and second straight primetime game on the road against the New Orleans Saints.

A game like this does not need any sort of extra hype, and this may be the most underrated rivalry in all of football with some serious genuine hate between these two squads. It will not be an easy one, and it's a game which could determine who the frontrunner to win the NFC South is a quarter of the way through the regular season.

The Falcons player who will be most closely watched is of course quarterback Michael Penix Jr. coming off his season debut. After an absolutely dreadful start to the night, Penix was able to settle into the game and figure it out aided by a great running game, a shutdown defense as well as a big night from his top target.

Now, for the first time all summer, head coach Kevin Stefanski says Penix is taking all of the first team reps throughout the practice week, another major milestone for the young quarterback.

On Thursday, it was clear that Penix was extremely rusty at the start of the game, and while it is a tremendous statement he made by being able to bounce back, Atlanta would of course prefer him to be at his best from the beginning of the evening.

Getting a full week of practice reps as well as now having a full game under his belt should go a very long way towards avoiding the kind of beginning he has to battle back from to allow his team to win the game. Penix does not need to do anything extraordinary, he needs to simply manage the game, get the ball into the hands of his playmakers and avoid turning it over.

If he and the Falcons can make that happen, they are going to have a wonderful chance at beating the Saints and being able to return home on a winning streak. Nobody knows better than Penix how significant this game is, and now that he has been able to take all of the reps, the hope is that he can settle in a whole lot quicker.

Clearly, he has the confidence from his coaching staff and his teammates that this is exactly what is going to happen.