Former UW star Michael Penix Jr. shines in return from ACL tear

Former UW Huskies star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. shined in his return from ACL surgery, completing 18 of 25 passes for 256 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the Atlanta Falcons’ 35-14 rout of the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.

It was Penix’s first game since tearing his left ACL in Week 11 last November.

Penix had a shaky start, throwing an interception on the first series and completing just 2 of 7 passes in the first quarter. But the 2024 first-round draft pick was nearly flawless after that, going 16 of 18 for 234 yards and a TD over the final three quarters.

“It felt great to get a win,” Penix said. “It felt great to come out of there healthy. Just blessed, just blessed.”

Michael Penix Jr.’s first TD of the year goes to Austin Hooper!@ATLvsGB on Prime Video
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/A9GiSBFFzR

— NFL (@NFL) September 25, 2026

Penix’s ACL tear last year was the fifth season-ending injury of the 26-year-old quarterback’s career. Prior to transferring to UW, Penix had four season-ending injuries in four seasons at Indiana from 2018-21. During his time with the Hoosiers, he twice tore his right ACL and suffered injuries to both shoulders.

Penix started three games for Atlanta as a rookie in 2024 and nine games in 2025 before getting hurt.

“I’m proud of him,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said. “It’s not easy to rehab from injuries. That’s a tough thing to do, that he’s put himself through – the extra workouts in the weight room, the extra treatments in the training room, all those times that he’s out in the field and he’s running when no one’s watching.”

Penix, the 2023 Heisman Trophy runner-up, had a decorated two-year run at UW. He threw for 9,544 yards and 67 TDs over his two seasons on Montlake, leading the nation in passing yards per game both years. He went 25-3 as a starter over that stretch, including 14-1 in 2023 while leading the Huskies to the College Football Playoff national championship game.

Penix’s second-place Heisman finish was the best in UW history. He then became just the second Huskies quarterback to be drafted in the first round when he was selected by Atlanta with the No. 8 overall pick.

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