The Atlanta Falcons head into their Week 8 game against the Miami Dolphins with a bit of uncertainty at the quarterback position after Michael Penix Jr. suffered an injury. However, according to Penix himself, his availability for Sunday’s game is not in question.
On Tuesday, Penix was officially diagnosed with a bone bruise in his lower leg that appeared to hamper him significantly during the final possession in their matchup with the 49ers.
Given the fact that Penix came into the NFL with an extensive history of leg injuries during his collegiate playing days, some Falcons fans initially expressed some concern about whether he should try and rush back from this injury.
Especially considering Atlanta does have an experienced veteran, Kirk Cousins, as their backup quarterback, who has proven to be more than capable of leading an offense over the course of his career.
On Wednesday, Penix addressed his injury in a conversation with reporters, making it incredibly clear that his plan is to play on Sunday against the Dolphins.
“That’s the plan,” said Penix when asked whether he would be able to suit up against Miami.
Penix is not only planning on suiting up, but will seemingly do so with some added motivation to make a statement in the process after a lackluster performance against the 49ers.
“I look at our wins since I’ve been starting and I don’t like it,” said Penix, via Marc Raimondi. “We’ve gotta get there. I’ve got a lot of work to go. I plan on being in the league a long time.”
The Falcons have looked like one of the best teams in all of football at times, beating the likes of the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Commanders, who were each playoff teams last season. However, they also looked terrible in Week 3 when they lost 30-0 to the Carolina Panthers.
With this in mind, Sunday’s matchup could certainly loom large in the direction that the Falcons’ season ultimately goes, given that they currently sit at 3-3 on the year.
Clearly, based on Penix’s comments, he plans to come out and put on an impressive performance to help solidify Atlanta’s status as a contender in the NFC.
Fortunately for Falcons fans, they should have a very good chance to do just that based on what we have seen from the Miami Dolphins thus far this season.
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