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Our reporters make sense of Sunday's Week 7 games: Bucs dominate Panthers, Falcons shock 49ers
Confirmed
In Short: The Falcons' decision to name Penix as the starter comes after a tumultuous start to the season, including a season-opening loss to the Steelers and an embarrassing 34-3 blowout defeat to the Panthers in their home opener.
The Atlanta Falcons have announced that Michael Penix Jr. will start at quarterback for their upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday.
Penix, who underwent surgery in November after tearing his ACL in Week 11, has been working towards a return and is now close to being fully recovered.
Coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters on Monday that Penix will be a full practice participant this week, though Tua Tagovailoa will not participate due to an oblique injury.
Stefanski emphasized the importance of constant communication with Penix and the team, stating, "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."
Penix expressed his eagerness to return, saying, "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 struggled this season, starting 0-2 and failing to run a play in the red zone in either of their first two games.
Stefanski acknowledged the team's challenges, noting, "I’ve got the final say, because I’m the only one who knows how my body feels."
Penix, a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, has started 12 games over his first two seasons, throwing for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions in nine games during the 2025 campaign.
Stefanski also addressed the status of Cooper Rush, who started in Week 1 but struggled against the Pittsburgh Steelers, saying, "At the same time, I have to think about how I feel." Rush is receiving treatment for a back injury he suffered before Week 1’s loss to the Steelers.
Penix's return is expected to add explosiveness to the Falcons' offense, as Stefanski noted, "As an offense, you want to make yourself difficult to defend, and Bijan by himself is difficult to defend."
What this adds
The Falcons' decision to name Penix as the starter is a significant shift from their previous uncertainty about who would lead the team at quarterback.
Background
College Football Week 7 features several high-profile games, including No. 3 Miami's double-overtime victory over Florida State.
NFL experts provide their picks and predictions for Week 6 games, including key matchups and betting insights.
What's confirmed
- The Atlanta Falcons have announced that Michael Penix Jr. will start at quarterback for their upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday.
- Penix, who underwent surgery in November after tearing his ACL in Week 11, has been working towards a return and is now close to being fully recovered.
- Coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters on Monday that Penix will be a full practice participant this week, though Tua Tagovailoa will not participate due to an oblique injury.
- The Falcons have struggled this season, starting 0-2 and failing to run a play in the red zone in either of their first two games.
- Penix, a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, has started 12 games over his first two seasons, throwing for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions in nine games during the 2025 campaign.
- Stefanski also addressed the status of Cooper Rush, who started in Week 1 but struggled against the Pittsburgh Steelers, saying, "At the same time, I have to think about how I feel." Rush is receiving treatment for a back injury he suffered before Week 1’s loss to the Steelers.
What's still developing
- Coach John Harbaugh said during the week it was "evident" that this was the "right time" to make the switch from Jameis Winston to McCarthy.
- The Texans have allowed at least 27 points in four outings this season.
- His workload was modest, but his third-down throw to Tez Johnson along the sideline, and later a 14-yard touchdown off his back foot, showed what he can still do unscripted. -- Jenna Laine Next game: vs. Falcons (Sunday, 1 p.m.
- His composure was obvious while completing 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards.
- Pittsburgh dominated in the run game, with Jaylen Warren leading the way on 18 carries for 101 yards, and the Steelers held off New Orleans in the NFL's first game in France.
- And it wasn't only against upper-echelon quarterbacks; on Sunday it was against McCarthy in his first start as a Giant.
- More than anything, McCarthy added explosiveness to the Giants' offense.
- At 2-5, the Bucs are fighting to get to the top of the NFC South.
- He previously covered the Falcons for Sports Illustrated and chronicled the Indiana Hoosiers’ fairy-tale run to the national championship in the 2025-26 season.
- Penix, who’s 10 months removed from tearing his left ACL against the Panthers last November, remains close to returning, Stefanski said.
- Daniel Flick covers the Falcons and NFL for the AJC.
- With the Atlanta Falcons’ Week 2 home opener against the Carolina Panthers just four days away, most of the questions for head coach Kevin Stefanski on Wednesday centered on who will start at quarterback.