The Falcons and Bears meet up this Sunday, with both teams dealing with quarterbacks who aren’t 100%.
Caleb Williams suffered a mild hamstring injury against the Vikings in Week 2 and hasn’t played since, but that’s expected to change against the Falcons, according to Ian Rapoport.
"It looks pretty good for Caleb Williams to return this week..
There's a pretty good chance that we see him on Sunday" ~ @RapSheet #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/U9ce6cHNyC
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 13, 2026
With an offensive genius like Ben Johnson calling the plays — combined with the Bears’ embarrassment of riches at the skill positions — it really doesn’t matter much who’s under center. Chicago was always going to be a formidable test for a Falcons defense that got a little exposed this past weekend by Derrick Henry and the Ravens’ rushing attack.
Like Baltimore, everything starts on the ground for the Bears. Ben Johnson wants his team running for over 200 yards a game, and he has to be licking his chops after what the Falcons just put on tape. But there’s no denying Caleb Williams adds an entirely different element to Chicago’s offense — one it sorely missed against the Packers, who hammered the Bears by 24 at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
The real question is who’ll be under center for the Falcons, and the answer could very well decide this game. With Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta looks like a legitimate playoff contender. With anyone else — including Tua Tagovailoa, who threw the game-sealing interception in Sunday’s loss to the Ravens — the Falcons look like a team angling for the No. 1 overall pick.
Earlier this week, Adam Schefter reported that Penix’s rib injury isn’t believed to be serious. There’s a chance he starts against the Bears, but Kevin Stefanski said the team will have a better idea of where Penix stands after Wednesday’s practice.
Kevin Stefanski asked if Michael Penix Jr. has a real chance to play this week:
“Yeah, I think it's probably I can answer that better Wednesday. Just with any type of injury, I always want to see how the guys respond over a couple days before I can give you a good answer there.”
— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) October 12, 2026
Before the injury to Penix, the Falcons were driving with a chance to move to 3-2 and win their third straight. Instead, they sit at 2-3 — and while there’s still plenty of optimism around the team because of how they’ve played the last three weeks, it’s always a slippery slope in this league. If Penix can’t go and the Falcons drop to 2-4, all that momentum they built up will have evaporated in the blink of an eye.
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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World