Tua

Tagovailoa

“We’ll see how he’s feeling,” head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Wednesday morning, adding that Penix should be able to play through the injury. Even if it’s a limited practice session for Penix, it’s good news for his Week 6 availability following his Sunday night rib injury against the Ravens. Penix, operating under center at a much higher rate than last season, is among the most efficient quarterbacks in the league through Week 5. If Penix is out, Tua Tagovailoa would represent a major downgrade for all Atlanta pass catchers.

Penix said after Sunday’s loss that he didn’t believe his injury would be long-term. He was replaced by Tua Tagovailoa in overtime because of his injury, but he also added that he likely would have gone back on the field had the Falcons received the ball to start the extra quarter. Instead, Penix said his pain worsened the longer he sat, which was why he ultimately didn’t go back in. Penix’s status will be one to monitor throughout the week. If he can’t start in Week 6, Tagovailoa would be in line to start his first game of the season.

Penix will undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm the severity of his injury, but it doesn’t sound like he’s at risk of missing much time. Penix exited in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Ravens and was forced to stay on the sideline in overtime to watch Tua Tagovailoa throw the game-losing interception shortly after the Ravens scored the go-ahead touchdown. Penix threw for 240 yards and a touchdown and has been solid in his three games since returning from injury. If he’s not able to start in Week 6, Tagovailoa would presumably draw the start at home against the Bears.

Tagovailoa came on in relief of the injured Michael Penix late in the fourth quarter and would be charged with leading the Falcons to a potential game-tying drive in overtime after the Ravens took the ball and scored a touchdown to start the extra period. He completed one pass at the end of the fourth quarter, one in overtime, and then threw a game-ending interception to send the Falcons to a 2-3 record ahead of a Week 6 meeting with the Bears. Fantasy managers of Penix will want to track his status closely in the coming days.

Tagovailoa joins a jumbled Falcons backup quarterback group for Thursday Night Football. He does not need to be rostered in 12-team leagues. The Falcons will start QB Michael Penix (knee).

Tagovailoa, fighting injuries for much of the offseason, missed Atlanta’s first two games with an oblique issue. He’ll return just in time to serve as backup to Michael Penix, who’s returning from a 2025 ACL injury. Penix is set to start Thursday night against a Packers defense allowing the ninth lowest adjusted yards per pass attempt.

With Michael Penix already named the starter, Tagovailoa will be aiming to back him up in Week 3’s TNF clash with the Packers. The 28-year-old veteran got in a full session on Tuesday.

Stefanski said the team will “work through what that means for this week.” Time will tell whether or not that means Tagovailoa has a chance to play in Week 3 against the Packers on Thursday night, as the Falcons have a number of ways they can go at QB this week after another disastrous outing by Cooper Rush. Tagovailoa did not log a practice last week, but Michael Penix (knee) was a full participant. It would be fair to assume that Penix is closer to returning than Tua, but we’ll see where things stand when the team releases its estimated injury report later today.

With the Falcons set to play on Thursday night, Stefanski will have little time to prepare his starter for the week. It’s hard to imagine the team going back to Cooper Rush after back-to-back disastrous starts to open the season, which could pave the way for rookie UDFA Jack Strand to make the start of Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) and Michael Penix Jr. (knee) still aren’t ready to go. Strand completed 8-of-15 passes for 59 yards and an interception in his first taste of NFL action. Stefanski did say he had a “decent idea” of who he thinks he will be starting this week, so we’ll likely have our answer soon.

Per Schefter and Ian Rapoport, Penix is the team’s preferred starter and is nearing a return. Once he is finally ready to suit up, the job is his. They also note that the Falcons won’t cut Tua Tagovailoa, even once the team has four healthy quarterbacks. There is a possibility that a team wants to trade for Tua ahead of the midseason deadline, though we’re skeptical that there’s much of a market for him after this disastrous start to the season.