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Kevin Stefanski has named Michael Penix Jr. as the starting quarterback for Thursday night’s game against the Packers, replacing Cooper Rush after two weeks of poor offensive performance by the Falcons. Penix, who last played in November 2025 and is recovering from his third ACL tear, will face a challenging debut on a short week at Lambeau Field despite limited practice time due to injury concerns. The move comes as Atlanta seeks improvement from an offense that scored only 16 total points and failed to reach the red zone through two games this season.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-22,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Michael Penix Jr., who suffered a torn ACL in November 2025, was named the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons against the Green Bay Packers on September 24, just one week after the Falcons' brutal 34-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons hope that Penix's return will provide a spark to an offense that failed to reach the red zone in their first two games of the season. Penix worked hard during his recovery and is set to play for the first time since November 16, 2025. Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa will back up Penix after missing the first two regular-season games due to an oblique injury. The game, which starts at 8:15 p.m. ET, is streamed exclusively on Prime Video. Despite being winless (0-2), the Falcons aim for their first victory of the season against a Packers team that comes into this home opener with a record of 1-1 following an overtime win over the New York Jets. The game will be played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Written for “Michael Penix Jr Returns Falcons vs P…” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 18 other(s) covering the same event.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski officially named Michael Penix Jr. QB1 for Thursday night’s clash against the Packers, desperately seeking any sign of life from an offense that hit absolute rock bottom during an atrocious 0-2 start.
asserted
that → name → start
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News → sign → wager
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that → create → newsroom
Penix has been sidelined since November 2025 after suffering his third career ACL tear in a Week 11 loss to Carolina.
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Penix → sideline → Carolina
After playing it cautious all summer and splitting first-team reps last week, Penix finally gave his reconstructed left knee the green light.
asserted
Penix → play → light
The change became an absolute necessity after Sunday's brutal 34-3 beatdown.
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change → become → beatdown
Through two weeks, Atlanta's offense has limped to just 16 total points and hasn't snapped the ball a single time inside the red zone.
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offense → limp → zone
Rush was handed the Week 2 start after putting up a dismal 2.6 QBR in the opener, and the sequel was even uglier.
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sequel → hand → opener
He coughed up three turnovers against Carolina with two picks and a lost fumble before getting benched in the third quarter.
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He → cough → quarter
Undrafted rookie Jack Strand entered in relief and immediately tossed a pick-six, capping off a complete disaster for Atlanta's passing game.
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Strand → enter → game
Atlanta ended up in this spot after offseason signee Tua Tagovailoa suffered an oblique injury during a Thursday practice right before Week 1.
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Tagovailoa → end → Week
Tagovailoa had won the starting job in training camp, leaving Rush to take over by default.
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Tagovailoa → win → default
Stefanski held off on making the announcement official until addressing the locker room on Monday afternoon.
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announcement → hold → afternoon
"I will give you an update when I've been able to talk to the players and work through it," Stefanski shared.
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Stefanski → give → it
"So, I don't have an update right this minute.
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I → have → update
But again, constant communication with Mike, with all of our guys, so we'll work through it this week."
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we → work → it
Penix is getting thrown straight into the fire on a short week at Lambeau Field.
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Penix → throw → Field
Facing Green Bay's pass rush on limited practice reps is a heavy ask, but Penix's arm strength gives Atlanta its best shot at backing defenses off, opening lanes for Bijan Robinson and perhaps getting Drake London and Kyle Pitts involved.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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London → face → @alejandroaveela
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