Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t lived up to his potential with the Atlanta Falcons.
But after the performance of Atlanta in Week 1, with Cooper Rush starting at QB in Pittsburgh in a 20-13 loss, it’s clear that Penix is probably the only guy who can save this ship.
Regardless of how Falcons fans feel about Penix, it’s hard to see another path forward with a better chance of success. Rush certainly didn’t look like the answer. Tua Tagovailoa is also hurt and probably not the solution even once he’s healthy.
Penix is the strong-armed guy who has chemistry with the likes of Drake London and Kyle Pitts. If someone can save the day, it’s Penix.
But if he’s going to do that, what will it look like? And most importantly, when will it happen?
When Is Michael Penix Jr. Coming Back?
Penix missed Week 1 but is expected back in the next couple weeks.
Specifically on Sunday’s NFL Network pregame content, insider Ian Rapoport said Penix would be back in the next week or two.
Given that Tagovailoa is expected to be out for a few weeks, there really wouldn’t be a competition of any kind. If Penix gets back, he probably will start.
And the thing with Penix is — he’s not recovering from a recent injury. He’s actually been fully cleared.
He had a season-ending knee injury in 2025, and since Penix has a history of knee injuries, the Falcons have played it very safe. They want Penix to properly ramp up for his return to regular season NFL action.
There just may need to be a sense of urgency after seeing how Rush played.
So a Penix return definitely could happen sooner rather than later. There’s just one other thing that complicates matters.
Falcons’ Upcoming Schedule is Tricky
The Falcons’ upcoming schedule is tricky, but not for the reason you might think.
Rather, they host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Sept. 20 and then go to Lambeau Field to play the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, Sept. 24.
They’ve got the Thursday Night Football Game in Week 3, which creates a quick turnaround, which has two potential dilemmas.
Falcons have Thursday Night Football in Green Bay 4 days after Week 2 at home
Michael Penix Jr. needs to get on the field against the Panthers on Sunday https://t.co/CwRDk9YPMV pic.twitter.com/a1VtXjSi9v
— Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) September 14, 2026
The first dilemma is simply the idea of putting Penix through two NFL games in such a short span as his first action back from the knee injury.
The second, though, is that if Penix doesn’t return in Week 2 on Sunday, the shortened week of gameplanning and prep for Thursday Night Football might not be an ideal structure for an injury return in Week 3.
Sure, Penix could play Thursday without having played Sunday, but it seems like that might be the least likely outcome.
It’d make more sense for Penix to play both or miss both. If he sits out both, then he gets a mini-bye of sorts after the Thursday night in Week 3 to the following weekend in Week 4, so you’d expect him to definitely be ready at that point.
Michael Penix Jr. Injury News Clashes With Tricky Falcons Schedule