The Falcons have named Michael Penix Jr. their starting quarterback for Thursday’s game against the Packers, the team announced on Monday.
It comes after Atlanta started the season 0-2, including a season-opening loss to the Steelers and an embarrassing 34-3 blowout defeat to the Panthers in its home opener, and the offense has struggled massively through the first two games — they failed to run a play in the red zone in either of those matchups.
Penix had surgery in November after tearing his ACL in Week 11, and he missed Atlanta’s final seven games. He was cleared to practice fully last month.
ESPN reported on Sunday that Penix could be active against Green Bay, but when head coach Kevin Stefanski spoke with reporters early Monday afternoon, he didn’t say whether the young QB would play.
“I will let you guys know,” he said. “I will give you an update when I’ve been able to talk to the players and work through it. So I don’t have an update right this minute. But again, constant communication with Mike, with all of our guys, so we’ll work through it this week.”
When he was asked about the report and if Penix was a possibility to play this week, Stefanski said that he couldn’t comment and that “I want to make sure I talk to our players first.”
Penix had hoped to start in the season opener, but he had decided he was not ready to play against Pittsburgh.
“I just told [head coach Kevin Stefanski] I’m not where I want to be right now,” Penix told reporters on Sept. 7. “And I want to be able to be 100 percent so I can help the team win football games. And I’m really close. Really close.”
The Falcons have not only been managing Penix’s return, but also an injury to Tua Tagovailoa, who has been out with an oblique injury that he suffered just days before the Week 1 game.
