News Article
Published
Oct 16, 2026 at 03:05 PM EDT
The Atlanta Falcons received good news on Michael Penix Jr. before Week 6.
Penix fully participated in Friday's practice and has no game designation on Atlanta's injury report. Barring a setback, the quarterback should start Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears.
Penix suffered a rib injury after taking a hard hit in the fourth quarter of Monday night's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He returned shortly after the hit, but Tua Tagovailoa replaced the former first-round pick in overtime.
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Penix was "feeling better," and the 26-year-old also offered an encouraging update without committing to a return.
"They're good," Penix said of his ribs, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi. "They get better every day. I felt good today at practice, and I know I'm going to continue to feel good. I just got to stay on top of my rehab and just make sure I'm doing all the right things."
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Recovering from a torn ACL, Penix missed the first two games of the 2026 season. He showed no rust in his comeback, leading the Falcons to back-to-back road wins over the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.
Penix has looked sharp running Stefanski's offense, completing 52 of 77 passes for 719 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception with a 104.8 quarterback rating. He watched Tagovailoa throw an interception to end Monday night's home loss to the Ravens, who were playing without Lamar Jackson.
While Penix is good to go, the Bears still haven't said whether Caleb Williams will return from a hamstring injury that has kept him out of the last three games. Chicago and Atlanta have each scored 23.8 points per game this season entering their Week 6 clash, which starts at 1 p.m. ET.