The wait is finally over.

Michael Penix Jr. will make his 2026 season debut Thursday night

The Falcons have officially named Penix their starting quarterback on Monday afternoon, marking his return from the ACL injury that ended his 2025 season and bringing an end, at least for now, to the quarterback uncertainty that has followed Atlanta throughout the offseason and the first two weeks of the regular season. The timing couldn’t be any better as Atlanta enters Thursday night 0-2, with an offense that has been among the NFL’s least productive through two games, and the Falcons are coming off an embarrassing 34-3 home loss to the Carolina Panthers in which they turned the ball over five times.

Now, on a short week, in primetime, at Lambeau Field, Atlanta is turning the offense back over to the quarterback it drafted No. 8 overall in 2024. For Penix and the Falcons, Thursday night could be one of the defining games of their young season.

Michael Penix Jr. Finally Returns From ACL Injury

Penix hasn’t played in a regular-season game since suffering a torn ACL against Carolina in Week 11 of the 2025 season. The injury required surgery and forced Penix into another lengthy rehabilitation process. He wasn’t cleared for full 11-on-11 work until late August, when the Falcons finally gave him the green light to participate fully in team periods. Atlanta has been deliberately cautious with him ever since. Penix was a full participant in practice leading into Week 2 but was still ruled out against Carolina as Penix and the Falcons continued to prioritize his recovery. Reports over the weekend indicated that a return against Green Bay was becoming increasingly realistic.

Now it’s official. Penix will walk into Lambeau Field a little more than 10 months removed from the injury and immediately be asked to help rescue a Falcons offense desperately searching for answers.

Falcons’ Quarterback Struggles Made a Change Inevitable

Atlanta’s decision comes after two disastrous weeks offensively with Cooper Rush starting at quarterback. Rush opened the season against Pittsburgh by completing 12 of 22 passes for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Falcons lost 20-13 despite Bijan Robinson accounting for 173 scrimmage yards.

Then things somehow got worse against Carolina. Rush completed just 10 of 17 passes for 86 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble before Kevin Stefanski benched him for undrafted rookie Jack Strand in the third quarter. Strand finished 8-of-15 for 59 yards and also turned the ball over twice. Atlanta lost 34-3.

Perhaps the most alarming statistic from the Falcons’ start isn’t even their 0-2 record. Atlanta has yet to reach the red zone this season. For an offense featuring Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts and other legitimate weapons, that simply isn’t good enough. Penix doesn’t need to immediately become one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. The Falcons simply need him to make this offense functional again.

Penix Showed Promise Before His Injury

It’s easy to forget that Penix was beginning to establish himself before his 2025 season was cut short. In nine starts last season, Penix completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns and only three interceptions, averaging 7.2 yards per attempt. Those numbers weren’t spectacular, but there were enough flashes to show why Atlanta used a top-10 pick on him.

More importantly, Penix generally protected the football and that becomes particularly relevant after Atlanta’s quarterback room combined for turnover after turnover against Carolina.

Penix’s arm also gives this offense something it desperately needs: the ability to threaten defenses vertically. Robinson has already shown that he can carry an enormous portion of Atlanta’s offense. London gives Penix a legitimate No. 1 target. Pitts can create mismatches. The pieces are there. Atlanta now needs a quarterback capable of putting them together.

There Couldn’t Be Much More Pressure on His First Start

If the Falcons wanted to ease Penix back into NFL football, this isn’t exactly the ideal situation.

• Thursday night.
• National television.
• Lambeau Field.
• Short week.

Coming off a 31-point home loss, an 0-2 team badly needing its first victory.

The Packers enter the game 1-1 after an overtime victory over the New York Jets, while Atlanta is searching for virtually any offensive momentum it can find. Penix will also have had limited time operating as Atlanta’s true QB1 this year. He spent much of the offseason rehabbing, wasn’t cleared for full-team work until August and watched the first two regular-season games from the sideline. Expecting him to immediately fix everything would be unfair but Atlanta doesn’t have the luxury of waiting much longer, either. Starting 0-3 would put the Falcons in an enormous early-season hole.

What Happens With Tua Tagovailoa?

Penix getting the start also provides the clearest indication yet of how Atlanta views its quarterback hierarchy. The Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa during the offseason and spent much of training camp evaluating both quarterbacks while Penix worked his way back from the knee injury. Tagovailoa then suffered an oblique injury before Week 1, leaving Atlanta without either of its preferred options to begin the season. Reports indicated that Tua could also be available Thursday night but Atlanta has now made its choice.

Michael Penix Jr. is getting the football.

What happens beyond Thursday will obviously depend on performance and health, but Penix now has an opportunity to make the quarterback conversation much simpler. Play well, stay healthy and win football games.

Thursday Night Could Change the Falcons’ Season

Two weeks into the season, Atlanta already finds itself at a crossroads. The Falcons are winless. Their offense has struggled to move the football. Their quarterback play has been poor and they’re coming off one of their ugliest losses in recent memory. Yet it’s also September with still plenty of football left to play and the quarterback Atlanta originally drafted to become the future of the franchise is finally back. That’s what makes Thursday night so intriguing.

Nobody should expect Penix to walk into Green Bay after a 10-month recovery and instantly look like an MVP candidate. There could be rust, there will probably be mistakes, and Atlanta has problems that extend beyond quarterback. However, for the first time this season, Falcons fans are going to get a look at what this offense was actually supposed to be. Penix is finally back throwing to London and Pitts while able to use the threat of Robinson out of the backfield. Perhaps most importantly, Penix finally getting another opportunity to prove that he can be Atlanta’s long-term answer at quarterback.

The Falcons’ season isn’t going to be decided entirely on Thursday night, but after an 0-2 start, a 34-3 embarrassment and two weeks of quarterback struggles, it certainly feels like the season could begin to turn one way or the other.

 The good new is Michael Penix Jr. is back and the Falcons desperately need him.