After reeling off back-to-back wins with Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback, the Atlanta Falcons stumbled late in their Week 5 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Penix got absolutely rocked during a fourth-quarter pass attempt and exited the game with a rib injury.
Tua Tagovailoa threw an ill-advised interception as soon as Atlanta got the ball in overtime, which dropped the team to 2-3 on the season. Nonetheless, Penix's health was the top story after Sunday's game.
The third-year quarterback's lengthy injury history has been regurgitated ad nauseam, however, it doesn't sound like Penix is going to miss any time with his rib injury.
"We’re good and I feel good to go this week, so that’s the plan," Penix said following Wednesday's practice. "MRI/scans
were all positive... It’s not always comfortable but I made every throw out there today."
Here is Michael Penix Jr. throwing routes on air to Kyle Pitts.
— Darius Hayes (@dhayessports37) October 14, 2026
Stefanski says Penix would participate in a “limited” fashion today and he should show up on the injury report in that status. #Falcons pic.twitter.com/W7KIeenEjc
While the hysteria around Penix's injury history can get a little out of control at times, it's at least partly because of how well the quarterback has played when healthy. The Falcons appeared dead in the water after their first two losses of the season.
Once Penix entered the lineup in Week 3, Atlanta went from a team that couldn't reach the red zone for two whole games to averaging 40 points per contest.
Even though the Falcons offense came back to earth in Week 5, Penix was extremely sharp after settling in against the Ravens. Thus far, Penix has passed for 719 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 104.8 over three starts.
Atlanta will host Chicago at home in Week 6, and it sounds like Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is set to return. Williams and Penix were chosen seven spots apart in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Sunday's game will be the first time that the two former first-round picks have faced off since entering the league.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons QB says he's 'good to go' for Sunday's game vs. Bears
