Falcons Name Michael Penix Jr. Starting Quarterback In Week 3 vs. Packers

Help is on the way for the Atlanta Falcons. Michael Penix Jr. will start at quarterback for the Falcons on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, the team announced Monday. Thursday will be Penix’s first start of the 2026 season. The Falcons are 0-2 and have the only offense in the NFL that has not reached the red zone over the first two weeks. Turnovers and inconsistency in the passing game have compounded the issues in Atlanta. Penix missed the final seven games of 2025 after injuring his ACL and had surgery on the knee. He returned to practice on a limited basis in the spring and for most of training camp, and he was cleared for 11-on-11 work before the third and final week of the preseason. Atlanta named Cooper Rush the starter for Week 1 after Tua Tagovailoa injured his oblique late in the week, was ruled out and has not returned to practice since. The Falcons lost 20-13 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 and 34-3 to the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. Rush had three turnovers against the Panthers, one fumble and two interceptions, before rookie Jack Strand replaced him in the third quarter. Earlier this month, Penix said he wanted to be at full strength before returning. “I just told [head coach Kevin Stefanski] I’m not where I want to be right now,” Penix said. “And I want to be able to be 100% so I can help the team win football games. And I’m really close. Really close.”