The Atlanta Falcons are turning the offense back over to Michael Penix Jr.
Penix has officially been named the Falcons’ starting quarterback for Thursday night’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, marking his first game action of the 2026 season and his return from the knee injury that ended his 2025 campaign.
The return comes at an important time for an Atlanta team searching for its first win.
The Falcons are 0-2 after opening the season with a 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and suffering a 34-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Sunday’s home opener. Atlanta has managed just 16 points through its first two games and is the only NFL offense that has yet to make an appearance in the red zone this season.
Now, Penix gets his opportunity to change the direction of the offense.
Penix Completes Long Road Back
Penix hasn’t played in a regular-season game since Nov. 16, 2025, when he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Atlanta’s Week 11 overtime loss to Carolina. He underwent surgery and missed the remainder of the season.
His return has been gradual.
Penix was cleared for full-team, 11-on-11 work in August, but the Falcons remained patient as he continued working toward being comfortable enough to return to game action.
As recently as last week, Penix said there were still physical benchmarks he wanted to reach before returning to the field.
“I’m close. I’m close,” Penix said at the time. “There’s just a couple of technical things that I want to hit, some goals that I have that I want to achieve before I do stuff out on that field.”
That wait is now over.
Penix was listed as a full participant on Atlanta’s estimated Monday practice report, and the Falcons officially announced that he will start against Green Bay.
Falcons Searching for Offensive Spark
Cooper Rush started Atlanta’s first two games while Penix continued his recovery and Tua Tagovailoa dealt with an oblique injury.
Tagovailoa had initially been named Atlanta’s Week 1 starter but was ruled out against Pittsburgh after suffering the injury. Rush stepped in and remained the starter against Carolina.
The results have been difficult for the Falcons.
After scoring 13 points in Pittsburgh, Atlanta managed only a Nick Folk field goal in its 34-3 home loss to Carolina.
The Falcons now hope Penix can provide the spark they’ve been missing in the passing game while complementing an offense featuring Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
Atlanta’s latest unofficial depth chart lists Penix as QB1.
Prime-Time Return at Lambeau
Penix won’t exactly ease his way back into NFL action.
His first start in more than 10 months comes on the road, in prime time, at one of the league’s most recognizable venues.
The Falcons (0-2) will face the Packers (1-1) Thursday, Sept. 24, at Lambeau Field, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
For Atlanta, the stakes are clear. The Falcons are still searching for their first victory of 2026 and need considerably more production from an offense that has struggled through the opening two weeks.
For Penix, Thursday night represents something more — the culmination of months of rehabilitation and work to get back under center.
Michael Penix Jr. is back — and his 2026 season begins under the Thursday night lights at Lambeau Field.
Next up: Falcons at Packers — Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8:15 p.m. ET.
