Report: Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. (knee) could debut Thursday

Injured quarterback Michael Penix Jr. could make his season debut for the Atlanta Falcons as soon as Thursday against the Green Bay Packers, according to an ESPN report Sunday.

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Penix, 26, has not played since Nov. 16, when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a Week 11 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers.

The third-year signal-caller is inactive for Sunday’s game against the Panthers, but sources tell ESPN that Penix could be ready for Week 3.

He might not be the only Falcons quarterback who returns to active duty Thursday. Tua Tagovailoa, who sat out Week 1 with an oblique injury and did not suit up against the Panthers, also is on pace to be ready for Green Bay.

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Atlanta has Cooper Rush and Jack Strand as its active quarterbacks against Carolina. Rush, 32, started Week 1 at Pittsburgh and hit 12 of 22 passes for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a 20-13 loss.

Strand, a 22-year-old rookie signed as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State-Moorhead, has yet to make his NFL debut.

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–Field Level Media

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This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 1:20 PM.