Can Michael Penix Jr. solve the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback situation, or will his return create more questions than answers?
After two weeks of disastrous quarterback play, the Falcons enter their Week 3 Thursday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers at 0-2 and ready to turn the offense back over to Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
A healthy Penix gives Kevin Stefanski his first real opportunity to see what the quarterback can do in his offense. More importantly, it gives Penix another chance to show he can stay healthy and become the final piece for a team that has offensive talent all over the field.
That makes Penix the latest focus of NFL QB Futures, as we examine whether the former first-round pick can finally establish himself as Atlanta’s long-term answer at quarterback.
What should the Falcons expect from Michael Penix Jr. in his return?
Those answers won’t come in one game, but the evaluation starts Thursday night.
Penix will look to show the Falcons they have their man at quarterback and justify why they used a top-10 pick on him after signing Kirk Cousins to a massive contract. Penix will not only be stepping onto the field under the guidance of a new head coach, but he also has a new offensive coordinator in Tommy Rees, who will get the opportunity to work with him in a regular-season game for the first time.
"I think Mike's looked good," Rees said of Penix last week. "He's been really going here for a few weeks now. I didn't know Mike pre-injury very well, except from afar. But he looks sharp, moving well. I think he has confidence in it. Obviously, his arm talents is easily seen. But in terms of the lower-body movement and his ability to play quick and do those things, I think Mike's progressed really nicely."
If we are just going off how he looks against the Packers, it may not be the best measuring stick.
First, the Packers’ defense has been very good through two games. Second, Penix will need some time to get comfortable in the offense and gain chemistry with new playmakers like Jahan Dotson and 2026 third-round pick Zachariah Branch.
Lastly, he will need time to get his timing back and adjust to Rees’ offensive scheme, which should be designed to feature Penix’s talented arm.
As for the rest of the season and potentially beyond, we have already seen Penix be efficient and effective leading the Falcons’ offense.
Through 14 games over his first two seasons, Penix has completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 2,757 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has a career passer rating of 85.8. Most notably, he had two games in 2025 in which he looked like the franchise quarterback Atlanta hoped it drafted.
Can he start to look like that again?
Can Michael Penix Jr. become the Falcons’ long-term answer?
If Rees opens up the offense, Penix has the talent to make it effective. He also has the talent to be the answer for the Falcons at quarterback.
With fellow 2024 draft classmates Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels missing games due to injury and Drake Maye and Bo Nix struggling a bit to start the season, Penix now has an opportunity to put himself back into the conversation surrounding that 2024 NFL Draft quarterback class.
More importantly for Atlanta, he has an opportunity to end a quarterback conversation that has followed the Falcons since they selected him in the top 10.
If Penix can turn things around in Atlanta and look darn good while doing it, Thursday night could be the beginning of his case that the Falcons finally have their answer.
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