Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is on track to start Sunday’s Week 6 game against the Chicago Bears, coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday, while noting that a setback could change the plan.
Penix injured his ribs on a sack late in Atlanta’s game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. He briefly returned before regulation ended but did not play in overtime. Tua Tagovailoa took over at quarterback, and his game-ending interception closed out the contest, according to the supplied report.
Penix underwent an MRI earlier in the week and returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant. Stefanski did not provide details about the injury’s severity, but said Penix was feeling better. The coach said the quarterback’s practice workload would depend on how he felt as the week continued, and that he would assess his response to activity before determining how much he could do.
Penix told reporters after Wednesday’s practice that he felt good and planned to keep up with his rehabilitation. He said he felt ready to play that week, while Stefanski’s assessment remained conditional on there being no setbacks.
ESPN later reported Wednesday that Penix took all of Atlanta’s first-team practice repetitions. Separately, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show” that the injury did not appear to be long-term at that point. Those assessments offer context, but the supplied report does not include a final medical determination or confirmation that Penix will play Sunday.
The quarterback’s availability is a significant question for Atlanta after a season in which the team had already used Cooper Rush for two weeks before Penix returned to the starting role. Penix also missed the Falcons’ first two games of the current season while recovering from surgery for an ACL injury sustained the previous November, the report said.
Chicago has its own uncertainty at quarterback. Caleb Williams missed the Bears’ previous two games with a hamstring injury. Coach Ben Johnson said Wednesday that Williams would be listed as a full participant on the latest injury report, according to the source material. The report does not state whether Williams has been cleared to play.
Both teams’ quarterback situations could therefore affect the Week 6 matchup in Atlanta. As of Wednesday, Penix’s expected start was based on Stefanski’s outlook and the quarterback’s own comments, while the final status of both players remained subject to further updates.
