QB Michael Penix Jr. will make season debut for Falcons on Thursday

ATLANTA (AP) — A struggling Atlanta Falcons offense in desperate need of improved production at quarterback will have Michael Penix Jr. make his first start in Thursday night’s game at Green Bay.

The Falcons announced the quarterback change on Monday.

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The Falcons (0-2) suffered a 34-3 loss to NFC South rival Carolina in Sunday’s home opener. In Cooper Rush’s two games as the fill-in starter, the Falcons have been held to one touchdown and 16 points.

Penix’s arm strength made the UW Huskies product the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft. He has been cautious in his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that ended his 2025 season. He said Wednesday there are “just a couple technical things that I want to hit, some goals that I have, that I want to achieve” before playing in a game.

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The Falcons were only 3-6 in Penix’s nine starts in 2025. He completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. By comparison, Rush and rookie Jack Strand have combined for five interceptions and one touchdown in two games.

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday “I have a decent idea of where we’re going” at quarterback this week. In a possible indication a change was coming, Stefanski said he wanted to tell the team before announcing his plan later Monday.

Stefanski has been supportive of Penix’s recovery schedule. “I talk to Mike every day and and like I’ve told you guys up I’m very confident in our discussions with Mike, with medical, throughout this entire process,” Stefanski said.

Stefanski announced on Sept. 9 Tua Tagovailoa would open the season as the starter, but Tagovailoa was ruled out for the opener at Pittsburgh after he suffered an oblique injury in practice. Tagovailoa was held out of practice last week and was inactive against Carolina.

Stefanski said Monday that Tagovailoa is “Getting better. We’ll work through what that means for this week, but definitely getting better.”

Rush has completed 22 of 39 passes for 229 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. The Falcons signed Rush on July 29 after Tagovailoa opened training camp with tightness in his lower back.

Seattle Sports staff made minor additions to this post.

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