Atlanta Falcons third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has vowed to bounce back after putting forth the worst performance of his young NFL career in Sunday's 16-0 shutout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Returning to his home state of Florida, where he grew up in Dade City and attended high school in Tampa, Penix labored throughout the divisional matchup. The 26-year-old completed just 8 of 24 passes for 125 yards while throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble.

Penix's poor performance was particularly disappointing given what he accomplished against the San Francisco 49ers the previous week. He threw three touchdown passes without an interception in Atlanta's win over the previously unbeaten team, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Across his previous two games, he had combined for six touchdowns without throwing a pick.

However, Tampa Bay's defense gave him little room to recover. Linebacker Alex Anzalone intercepted two of his first six attempts, while cornerbacks Jacob Parrish and Zyon McCollum recorded the Buccaneers' other interceptions. Anzalone's two picks also gave him as many catches as any player on either team.

The conditions were difficult, with heavy rain falling throughout the contest, but Penix refused to blame the weather for his mistakes.

“The conditions are what the conditions are. Both teams have to play in it. … As a quarterback, as a leader, I have to protect the ball. That's the only way we're going to be able to win these games,” said Penix.

The quarterback also promised to work toward getting the Falcons back on track.

“I'm going to shake back. I promise you, I will,” he said.

The defeat also prevented Atlanta (3-5) from taking advantage of an opportunity to move into first place in the NFC South. Tampa Bay (3-5), meanwhile, secured a historic win by becoming the first team in the history of the league since the Buffalo Bills in 1974 to win without completing a pass.

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The Buccaneers attempted only three passes, all unsuccessful, while finishing with 324 rushing yards on 56 carries, averaging 5.8 yards per rush. Bucky Irving led the way with 170 yards on 27 attempts, while Kenny Gainwell added 140 yards on 25 carries.

Meanwhile, the Falcons managed only 99 rushing yards, went 0-for-12 on third downs and came away empty-handed on its limited scoring opportunities.

Atlanta will now turn its attention to next Sunday's Week 9 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid.