Michael Penix Jr. could avoid an extended absence after the rib injury that kept him out of overtime Sunday night, but the Atlanta Falcons still have a decision to make before facing the Chicago Bears.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that the injury is not considered serious. Playing against Chicago remains possible, although Atlanta wants to evaluate Penix in practice before determining his availability for Week 6.
That leaves the Falcons with encouraging news about their starting quarterback without a firm answer about their next game. Schefter’s report does not establish that Penix has been cleared to play or that Tua Tagovailoa will need to start.
Atlanta is coming off a 30-23 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens that dropped its record to 2-3. Penix’s exit interrupted his third start of the season, just as the Falcons were trying to build on consecutive road victories.
Why Michael Penix Jr. could not return in overtime
Penix’s explanation after the game helped clarify why he was unable to finish despite trying to work through the injury. In Tori McElhaney’s report for the Falcons, he described increasing discomfort while Atlanta waited for its overtime possession.
Baltimore received the ball first and held it for seven minutes. Penix said he believed he might have been able to play if the Falcons had opened overtime on offense, but his condition changed during the wait.
“It just started to get worse and worse as we were sitting there,” Penix said. “I was just getting cold.”
He tried moving around and throwing before deciding the pain would prevent him from giving Atlanta what it needed to win. His account described a player attempting to return, then recognizing that he could not perform well enough in that moment.
The game had already demanded a response from the Falcons’ offense. Its first two possessions ended in three-and-outs before Penix helped break through.
A 25-yard completion to Drake London and a 36-yard connection with Jahan Dotson helped set up a touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts. Atlanta eventually took the game into overtime, where Tagovailoa’s interception ended its chance to answer Baltimore’s touchdown.
Where Tua Tagovailoa fits if Penix cannot play
Tagovailoa was the quarterback Atlanta turned to Sunday, making his role the immediate contingency to watch if Penix cannot return against Chicago. His appearance came after an earlier injury had disrupted his own opportunity to lead the offense.
The Falcons initially planned to start Tagovailoa in Week 1 while Penix continued recovering from knee surgery. Instead, Tagovailoa’s oblique injury forced Atlanta to prepare Cooper Rush for the opener.
Rush started the first two games. In the second, Atlanta also turned to undrafted rookie Jack Strand, leaving the offense to work through multiple quarterback changes before Penix’s return.
The Falcons named Penix their starter Sept. 21 ahead of the Week 3 trip to Green Bay. He had missed the final seven games of the previous season following ACL surgery and was not ready to open the 2026 schedule.
His clearance for 11-on-11 work had come before the final week of the preseason. The decision to start him against the Packers therefore followed a gradual return to football activity, rather than an uninterrupted summer of first-team preparation.
Tagovailoa, meanwhile, returned to full practice participation Sept. 22 and was listed behind Penix on the depth chart for that game. Sunday’s emergency appearance put that backup arrangement into use.
For Atlanta, a potential change against the Bears would mean another interruption to a starting lineup that had only recently stabilized.
What Penix has given Atlanta since his return
Penix’s has 719 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception across his three appearances this season. He completed 19 of 32 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown against Baltimore without throwing an interception.
His first two starts were more efficient: 18 of 25 for 256 yards against Green Bay, followed by 15 of 20 for 223 yards against New Orleans. He threw one touchdown in each game, with his only interception coming against the Packers.
His passer rating was 101.4 against Green Bay and 127.7 against New Orleans before falling to 93.2 against Baltimore. He was sacked three times Sunday after taking one sack across the previous two games.
Those results give the Falcons a short but useful stretch of production to preserve. The Ravens game also showed where Penix was helping an offense that could not consistently stay ahead of the chains.
Penix went 9 of 15 for 163 yards and a touchdown on third down against Baltimore. Eight of those completions gained at least 10 yards, including three that gained at least 20.
Atlanta averaged 9.9 yards per third-down play, the highest figure in Week 5. That production explains why losing Penix mattered beyond the basic question of who would take the next snap: He had repeatedly supplied the throws that kept possessions alive.
What comes next before the Bears game
The Falcons host Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. EST. A win would bring Atlanta back to .500 after victories over Green Bay and New Orleans were followed by the overtime setback.
The immediate question is whether Penix can participate in practice and show Atlanta enough to remain the starter this week. His response to that work is the condition Schefter identified in Monday’s report.
Until that evaluation produces a decision, the Falcons have reason for optimism about the injury’s severity while still preparing for the possibility that their backup will be needed again.
