The Atlanta Falcons saw their recent hot streak come to a screeching halt in Week 5 when they suffered a 30-23 overtime defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. Perhaps more concerning, though, was the fact that starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was unable to finish the game due to a rib injury.
Considering how effective Atlanta’s offense has been under Penix’s lead, being without him for another stretch of time would have been a big blow for this team. However, Penix has been trending in the right direction when it comes to his status for Week 6, and he received a very important injury update on Friday.
Falcons Remove Michael Penix Jr. From Injury Report
Injuries have unfortunately become a big part of Penix’s career, and sure enough, he ended up having to miss the first two games of the season recovering from surgery he underwent to repair a partially torn ACL. However, it became clear that once he got healthy, he’d be the team’s starting quarterback.
Once Penix got on the field, he promptly helped the Falcons score 80 total points in a pair of big victories over the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints. Even though he couldn’t take the field in overtime, Penix put together another solid performance against the Ravens (19/32, 240 YDS, 1 TD), with the lone issue being that Atlanta did not come out on top.
With Penix unable to finish the game due to his aforementioned rib injury, there was concern about his status in Week 6, especially when considering how good the offense has looked with him under center compared to any of the team’s other options at quarterback. Thankfully for the Falcons, Penix will be able to play on Sunday, as he’s been removed from the team’s injury report.
Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr (ribs) is off the injury report and good to go,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network shared in a post on X.
Michael Penix Jr. Looking to Lead Falcons to Another Win
While Atlanta has playmakers like Bijan Robinson and Drake London at its disposal, Penix has quickly become an extremely important part of this unit. He doesn’t put up gaudy numbers, but he does just enough to keep the aerial attack moving, which in turn opens up tons of running lanes for Robinson.
Having Penix is huge, because the Falcons are playing a Chicago Bears team in Week 6 that appears set to get its own star quarterback, Caleb Williams, back from injury. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, and how Penix fares in his duel with Williams could wind up determining which team comes out on top in this important early-season matchup.
Falcons Get Major Michael Penix Jr. Injury News Right Before Week 6