Falcons Clips
Michael Penix is set to make his first start for the Falcons since last November when the team faces the Packers on Thursday night and the quarterback shared his excitement about that return during a press conference on Tuesday.
Penix had said in recent weeks that he felt close to getting back in the lineup, but not all the way back to where he needed to be to feel confident in playing. He said that changed late last week as lingering soreness went away and he was convinced it was time to get back on the field after “pushing it to the limit” in a workout and finding that the knee “responded good.”
Penix said that the timing of his return had nothing to do with having extended rest heading into Week 4 or because of how poorly the first two weeks have gone for the team.
“Being healthy is what I was targeting. I was never no week-to-week thing,” Penix said at a press conference. “It was being healthy. Whenever I felt like I can go out there, like I said, get out of all that soreness and get stronger each and every day, that’s what it was always about. Once I felt healthy, it felt like I was ready to go. . . . I’m never gonna sit out if I’m healthy. I knew I wasn’t where I needed to be the first two weeks and now I feel like I’m where I want to be, so that’s why you’ll see me up this week.”
Penix called it “very exciting when you make the final decision” and, given the way the offense has floundered through two games, he’s likely not the only Falcons player excited about the change in plans for this week.
The Packers added another offensive lineman to their injury list on Tuesday.
Offensive tackle Anthony Belton was added to their injury report and listed as a limited participant in practice due to an elbow injury. The Packers only held a walkthrough, so the level of work is an estimation.
Belton’s addition comes after right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele announced he’ll miss the rest of the season with a torn patellar tendon. Left guard Aaron Banks (toe) was also a non-participant in practice Tuesday and backup lineman Donovan Jennings (hand) was a limited participant.
Wide receiver Jayden Reed remained out of practice. Reed was carted off on Sunday with what’s alternately been described as a back and neck injury and the Packers list it as a neck injury.
Defensive tackle Warren Brinson (calf) was the only other Packer out of practice. Defensive tackle Anthony Campbell (ankle), cornerback Brandon Cisse (teeth), linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (shoulder), and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (knee, concussion) were listed as limited. Wide receiver Bo Melton (neck) and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste (hamstring) were full participants.
Tua Tagovailoa won’t be starting for the Falcons on Thursday night, but he could suit up for the first time this season.
The Falcons listed Tagovailoa as a full participant in practice on Tuesday for the first time since he suffered an oblique injury during a practice ahead of Week 1. The Falcons already announced that Michael Penix will make his 2026 debut as their starter against the Packers this week and Tagovailoa could be their backup ahead of Cooper Rush and Jack Strand.
Rush started the first two games and Strand replaced him in the second half of Atlanta’s Week 2 loss to the Panthers.
Defensive end Samson Ebukam (hamstring) was the only player listed as out of practice Tuesday. The Falcons also put cornerback A.J. Terrell (groin) on injured reserve earlier in the day.
Cornerback Billy Bowman (Achilles), tight end Nick Muse (shoulder), right tackle Jawaan Taylor (rib), defensive end Brandon Dorlus (thumb), running back Brian Robinson (ankle), and defensive lineman LaCale London (hip) were listed as full participants.
The Falcons won’t have cornerback A.J. Terrell in the lineup against the Packers on Thursday night and his absence will continue well beyond Week 3.
Terrell left Sunday’s loss to the Panthers to be evaluated for both a concussion and a groin injury. He did not suffer a concussion, but missed the rest of the game with the groin injury that landed him on injured reserve on Tuesday.
C.J. Henderson stepped in for Terrell against Carolina and is the likely starter alongside Mike Hughes. Billy Bowman was inactive for the Carolina game, but would join Avieon Terrell, Mike Ford, and Malcolm DeWalt as other corner options if he’s healthy.
The Falcons filled the open roster spot by signing defensive lineman Zach Harrison off of their practice squad. They also announced that they have released center James Brockermeyer from the practice squad and signed offensive tackle Colby Sorsdal.
The Falcons’ quarterback carousel has finally landed on their first-round draft pick from 2024.
The team has announced that Michael Penix Jr. will start in Thursday night’s game against the Packers at Lambeau Field.
Penix suffered a torn ACL in November 2025. He fully participated in practice before both regular-season games, but he was not ready to play.
Some would say that, if he’s going to be ready to play on Thursday, he could have played on Sunday against the Panthers.
Instead, it was Cooper Rush. Rush was removed in the third quarter for undrafted rookie Jack Strand. In combination, they threw three interceptions and generated a passer rating of 28.8.
And so it will be Penix time for the 0-2 Falcons, whose next three games are scheduled to be played in prime time.
Michael Penix Jr.? Tua Tagovailoa? Cooper Rush? Jack Strand?
Who will be the Falcons’ starting quarterback on Thursday night when Atlanta plays Green Bay?
“I don’t have an update right this minute,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said in his Monday video conference. “I have a decent idea of where we’re going, but I’ve not yet talked to the players yet. We have meetings later today. I’ll update you guys when appropriate on that. But, bottom line is, we’ve got to continue to put our plan together on offense, defense, and special teams, and find a way Thursday night in Green Bay.”
It’s been an ugly start to the season for Atlanta’s offense. With Tagovailoa suffering an oblique injury during practice leading up to the season opener, Rush has started the first two games. But he played so poorly and Sunday’s loss to the Panthers was so out of hand that Strand — an undrafted rookie — made his first appearance in the second half yesterday.
Penix has been getting closer, with some reports indicating he could be available for Thursday night. But even without making the QB1 announcement, Stefanski declined to get into specifics when it comes to Penix.
“I talk to Mike every day and, like I’ve told you guys, I’m very confident in our discussions with Mike, with medical throughout this entire process,” Stefanski said. “So it’s not news to say I talked to Mike yesterday, I’ll talk to Mike today. But anything past that, I don’t have an update, per se.”
As for Tagovailoa, Stefanski said he’s getting better.
“We’ll work through what that means for this week, but definitely getting better,” Stefanski said.
And what about Strand? He was 8-of-15 for 59 yards with an interception in his first NFL action.
“Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m very excited about Jack’s development and the work that he’s putting in in this building, constantly, is impressive,” Stefanski said. “To see where he’s come from, from Day 1 until now, I’m really proud of him. And he’ll continue to work. He’ll be better for the reps he got yesterday, but he also recognizes there’s a ton of work to do.”
Stefanski indicated that the Falcons could make an announcement about their starting quarterback as soon as later on Monday, after he’s addressed the team.
Either way, kickoff is slated for Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field.
The Falcons aren’t ready for prime time. But prime time is ready for the Falcons.
Atlanta, which lost 34-3 to the Panthers on Sunday, has three straight night games over the next three weeks. On Thursday night, the Falcons visit the Packers. The following Monday night, the Falcons visit the Saints. Then, six nights later, the Falcons host the Ravens.
The Week 5 game could, in theory, be flexed out of prime time. It’s rare for it to happen so early in the schedule. But with the Falcons at 0-2 and with the next two games to be played in a standalone window, the NFL may decide not to subject a national audience to a third straight Falcons game.
Other possibilities for the Sunday night window in Week 5 include 49ers-Seahawks, Bears-Packers, and Vikings-Saints. That same week, the Cowboys host the Buccaneers on Thursday night. Week 5 ends with a Monday night game between the Bills and Rams in L.A.
Ultimately, it’s the NFL’s decision. If a change is going to happen, the decision would need to be made by Tuesday, September 29.
Falcons wide receiver Drake London got into a verbal altercation with a fan during the team’s 34-3 home loss to the Panthers.
Sideline cameras showed London shouting profanities to an unknown person as teammate Olamide Zaccheaus held him back.
London later told reporters that he was reacting to “personal stuff” being said to him, and he knows his reaction was “not the right thing to do.”
“I’m going to be honest here, I don’t take light to disrespect at all,” London said, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN. “I don’t care who you are. I’m a man, too, at the end of the day. So, if you want to get on a personal level, I can get there, too, but it’s not the right thing to do. So, I got to take accountability for that, and I got to push forward and be the bigger man in some of those situations.”
The Falcons have not had their top two quarterbacks, Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa, this season. They have a team passer rating of 38.2 with journeyman Cooper Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand.
London caught four passes for 51 yards after making two catches for 29 yards last week.
When asked if it was a fan he was exchanging words with, London replied, “It was somebody.”
“But with how the game was going and what was said to me, I don’t like it,” London said.
In Week 1, the Bears came within one point of scoring 60. In Week 2, they came within three points of scoring none.
The dip from 59 points to start the season to only a field goal in the second game is, per NBC Sports research, the second biggest turnaround from Week 1 to Week 2 in NFL history.
In 1973, the Falcons opened the season with a 62-7 win over the Saints. The following week, they lost to the Rams, 31-0.
That year, Falcons quarterback Dick Shiner went from completing 13 of 15 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns to completing two of nine for 17 yards and an interception. (The Falcons finished the year 9-5 but missed the playoffs.)
On Sunday, the weather — and the Minnesota defense — had something to do with the reduction in production. Still, it won’t be easy to get closer to 59 than three if quarterback Caleb Williams misses time with the hamstring injury he suffered in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons fell to 0-2 in a 34-3 loss to the Panthers on Sunday and head coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game that it was an “extremely disappointing” performance by his team.
Stefanski’s club turned the ball over five times in the loss with three coming while starting quarterback Cooper Rush was in the game. After the game, Stefanski was asked at his press conference if Michael Penix will be ready to play against the Packers on Thursday night.
Stefanski said Penix has continued to progress as he tries to return to action after last season’s torn ACL, but that he had no updates on his condition.
“I don’t think now’s the time to know,” Stefanski said if Penix was in play for this week.
Rookie Jack Strand replaced Rush in the third quarter and looked like an undrafted rookie pressed into action, so the non-Penix options aren’t particularly appetizing for a team that is looking at their season getting away from them before September is over.
