Michael Penix, Jr. Is Set To Return Thursday Night For The Falcons Against Green Bay As Team Aims To Avoid A Catastrophic 0-3 Record

The Atlanta Falcons are turning back to their franchise quarterback in a crucial bid to save their season as fans begin to worry the season could slip away from the Falcons if a turnaround does not happen quickly.

The team officially announced Monday that Michael Penix Jr. will make his highly anticipated 2026 season debut this week. Penix takes the reins on a short week as the 0-2 Atlanta Falcons travel to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football.

The return comes at a critical juncture for Atlanta. The Falcons are reeling from a staggering 34-3 blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers, a game that highlighted an offense in total disarray. Under fill-in quarterback Cooper Rush, Atlanta has managed just 16 total points over two weeks and holds the grim distinction of being the only NFL team that has yet to enter an opponent’s red zone this season.

Penix has not played a meaningful snap since November 2025, when a torn ACL cut his rookie campaign short. While medical staff cleared him for full-contact practice in late August, both Penix and head coach Kevin Stefanski, opted for a cautious approach, delaying his return until the young signal-caller felt entirely confident in his knee.

It’s all hands on deck and the road ahead is unforgiving for the Falcons. A loss on Thursday would plunge Atlanta into a 0-3 hole, a record from which fewer than four percent of NFL teams have historically recovered to make the postseason.

Over the next 7 weeks, the Falcons will face perennial contenders with the Baltimore Ravens and also the currently 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals, the San Francisco 49ers, and Kansas City Chiefs.

That’s in addition to a game next week against their resurgent rival, the New Orleans Saints, that suddenly looks worrisome. With an array of tough teams coming down the pike, the Falcons need an injection of urgency–and fast.

Such is the urgency that the daunting schedule is sparking fans’ fears that the Falcons season could slip away before the halfway mark of the regular season.

On Thursday, they’ll face a 1-1 Packers team that boasts an aggressive defense and a vocal Lambeau crowd, both eager to welcome a quarterback playing his first game in nearly ten months.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday.