Falcons reveal unfortunate Michael Penix Jr. news for preseason finale image
The Atlanta Falcons are in the middle of a quarterback competition, which is not ideal at this stage of the NFL preseason.
The Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings have both made their QB1 decisions, but the Falcons are still up in the air about what they're going to do between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. They might be hoping to see Penix before the regular season.
Unfortunately, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Penix will be out for the preseason finale, leaving Tagovailoa to start against his former team. This news could have a big impact on the Falcons' Week 1 starting QB.
Falcons reveal Michael Penix Jr. preseason news that's bad for QB competition
"Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. will not play in Friday night's preseason finale vs the Miami Dolphins, per HC Kevin Stefanski," Schefter reports.
This is some unfortunate news for the Falcons, as they've yet to see Penix suit up for a preseason game this year. While they've already seen him play before, he is coming back from another serious injury and was a question mark for 2026.
If he had suited up, even if it was only in a backup role to Tagovailoa, it could've given the Falcons some confidence heading into the 2026 NFL season.
But since he's not playing in this preseason finale, there's a chance that the Falcons have no choice but to start Tagovailoa by the start of the season.
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That is something this Falcons team probably doesn't want to do. Tagovailoa hasn't looked good during practices this summer.
In his first game with the Falcons against the Denver Broncos in the preseason, it was a disaster. He went 3-for-5 for just 22 yards with a dropped snap and barely any movement offensively.
The vibes around Tagovailoa are dreadful, and the Falcons, by not naming him the starter despite Penix being banged up, show they don't really want Tagovailoa to be QB1 to begin the season.
This news from Schefter is unfortunate, as the Falcons now might be stuck starting Tagovailoa despite his summer production not instilling much of any confidence.
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