Michael Penix Jr. will return as the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in their Week 3 game against the Green Bay Packers. The Falcons announced Penix’s return on Monday ahead of their game on Thursday night. Penix has not played since tearing his ACL during a loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 11 of the 2025 season. He underwent surgery in November and was cleared to take part in 11-on-11 work before the final week of the preseason. Before Week 1, Penix told coach Kevin Stefanski that he was not yet where he wanted to be physically.
The Falcons had initially planned to start Tua Tagovailoa in Week 1 before he suffered an oblique injury late in the week. Cooper Rush started Atlanta’s first two games instead. Rush threw for 229 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions in two games. Jack Strand made his NFL debut in those early games, throwing an interception on his first pass attempt. Strand completed 8-of-15 passes for 59 yards and no touchdowns during his limited action.
Atlanta has opened the season with two losses. The Falcons lost 20-13 to the Pittsburgh Steelers before falling 34-3 to the Carolina Panthers. The offense did not reach the red zone in either game.
Penix was drafted by Atlanta in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft and replaced Kirk Cousins late that season. He has started only 12 games in his career so far. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said Penix looked sharp during recent practice sessions, according to a report from CBS Sports. Rees noted that Penix had good mobility and showed strong arm strength in training. Penix himself said he wanted to be fully prepared before returning to the field. He emphasized that playing with less than full strength would not be fair to his team or organization.
Last season, Penix improved his performance with more touchdowns and better accuracy compared to his rookie year. He completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions in nine starts. As a rookie, he completed 58.1% of his passes with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Packers gave up 39 points to Minnesota in their opener before beating the Jets 20-17 in overtime. Green Bay is 1-1 heading into Thursday night’s home opener at Lambeau Field. The game is scheduled for Sept. 24 at 8:15 p.m. ET.
This matchup could offer Penix a chance to show his skills in his first NFL game in more than 10 months.