Michael Penix
Michael Penix
Michael Penix will not suit up for the Atlanta Falcons Week 2 battle against the Carolina Panthers, but the former first-round pick could return to the field sooner rather than later. The eighth-overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, Penix began his career on the bench before taking over for an ineffectual Kirk Cousins towards the end of his rookie season. While the team went 1-2 in his starts, the rookie looked promising and finished the season completing 58.1% of his passes for 775 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Following this strong finish, Michael Penix entered the 2025 season as the starter. However, he couldn’t build on his promising 2024 and guided the team to a 3-6 record while completing 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions before tearing his ACL. The quarterback is still working his way back from the injury and won’t play in Week 2, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports he could return to the field as soon as Week 3.
Michael Penix
| Source: Lastwordonsports.com - David Latham, Managing Editor
Michael Penix Injury Update: Falcons QB Could Play In Week 3
This is fantastic news for the Falcons, as a healthy version of Michael Penix gives this team the best chance to win. While he has yet to justify his top-10 draft status, the quarterback is considerably better than Cooper Rush and probably better than Tua Tagovailoa, if the former Dolphins’ offseason and preseason performances were anything to go on. The Falcons play on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, so perhaps Penix can return to the field against one of the league’s stronger organizations.
With Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa both battling injuries, the Atlanta Falcons will turn to Cooper Rush in Week 2. Rush, a longtime journeyman, had a performance to forget in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In total, he completed just 12 of his 22 attempts for 143 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in the opening loss. The Panthers defense is not as good as Pittsburgh’s, but he must play better to prevent this team from falling to 0-2.