Sunday night couldn’t have ended much worse for the Atlanta Falcons. Not only did they blow an 8-point lead with a little over two minutes to play, but they lost quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the process — he went down on the final drive of regulation after taking a hard shot to the midsection.
He did return briefly for one play before overtime, but when the Falcons needed a touchdown to tie it in the extra period, Penix was unavailable, forcing them to turn to backup Tua Tagovailoa — who promptly threw a game-ending interception on his third pass of the night.
Five weeks in, the picture is pretty clear. With Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons can win a lot of football games. Without him, they’re one of the worst teams in the league — and it doesn’t matter whether it’s Tua, Jack Strand, or Cooper Rush. Every one of them has been horrendous when asked to run the offense.
That’s exactly why Falcons fans spent Monday anxiously awaiting the MRI results. Thankfully, the news was good. Adam Schefter reported that Penix’s injury isn’t believed to be serious, and that he could potentially play this Sunday against the Bears.
Michael Penix’s rib injury is not considered serious, per sources. Penix might be able to return for Sunday’s game vs. the Bears, but the team wants to be cautious and see him practice this week before it knows whether he will be able to play in Week 6.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 12, 2026
It’s a tricky spot for Atlanta. This is a franchise starved for winning — no postseason since 2017 — and with Penix under center, this team could very well be 3-0. That has everyone pushing for him to play, even if he’s not 100%. But given his injury history, the Falcons are expected to tread carefully.
For now, Penix is a question mark for the Bears game, and the hope is that it’s nothing longer than that. Because the reality is simple: the Falcons are only a playoff team with him under center. Without him, they are vying for a top draft pick. The rest of the quarterback room has already proven it’s completely incompetent.
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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire