Penix Has No Injury Designation, Set to Start Sunday vs Bears
Penix practiced in full all week after hurting his ribs against Baltimore, and coach Kevin Stefanski said he will have no restrictions against Chicago.
Key points
- Michael Penix Jr.
- The decision removes the main doubt over Atlanta's lineup for the weekend.
- Penix hurt his ribs late in the fourth quarter of last Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Michael Penix Jr. will start at quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday against the visiting Chicago Bears. Penix received no injury designation on the final injury report on Friday, October 16, and head coach Kevin Stefanski said the quarterback will have no restrictions in the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Eastern.
The decision removes the main doubt over Atlanta's lineup for the weekend. Penix was a full participant in practice all week. That full week of work, followed by a clean final report, puts him in line to lead the offence from the first snap against Chicago, rather than watching a backup take the start.
How the rib injury happened
Penix hurt his ribs late in the fourth quarter of last Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens. Atlanta lost that game 30 to 23 in overtime. Penix did not finish the contest, and the closing stages showed how thin the margin became for the Falcons once he left the field.
Backup Tua Tagovailoa replaced Penix in overtime. On his second play, Tagovailoa threw an interception that ended the game. That short and costly cameo underlined why Penix's health carried such weight through this week of practice. Atlanta had seen, in one series, how fast a game can turn when its starting quarterback is out.
A season already shaped by recovery
Penix, 26, missed the first two weeks of the season while finishing his recovery from ACL surgery. He has since made three starts, and the Falcons have won two of them and lost one with him as the starter.
His numbers in those starts have been steady. Penix has completed 52 of 77 passes, a completion rate of 67.5 percent, for 719 yards. He has thrown three touchdowns and one interception, with a passer rating of 104.8. Those figures give Atlanta a clear reason to welcome his return to full practice work and a start with no restrictions.
The Bears game now becomes his fourth start of the season. For a quarterback who opened the year still finishing knee recovery, a full week of practice after a rib injury is a strong sign that the Falcons see him as ready for a normal workload, not a limited plan.
Other Falcons injury news
Defensive end Za'Darius Smith has cleared the concussion protocol. He is still listed as questionable for Sunday because of a neck injury, so his status remains one to watch closer to kickoff. Smith clearing the protocol is one step, but the questionable tag means his place in the game is not settled.
Cornerback C.J. Henderson is out with a groin injury. His absence removes one option in the secondary against Chicago, and Atlanta will have to cover his snaps with the rest of the cornerback group.
What it means for Sunday
Atlanta enters the game with a record of two wins and three losses. With Penix set to start, the Falcons have their first choice quarterback for a home game they need to steady their season. The key point from Friday is simple. The rib injury from the Ravens loss did not keep him out, it did not limit his practice week, and it will not, in Stefanski's account, limit him on Sunday.
Chicago will face the quarterback Atlanta planned to build its offence around this season, at full strength by the team's own report. For Penix, the task is to turn a clean bill of health into a cleaner result than the overtime loss that left him hurt a week ago.