For the second consecutive week, injuries at the quarterback position forced the Atlanta Falcons to start Cooper Rush, and for the second straight week, he was truly awful. In Atlanta's' home opener, he was so bad that he was benched for undrafted rookie Jack Strand midway through the third quarter.
In the 34-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers, Rush completed 10 of 17 attempts for 87 passing yards, threw two interceptions, and lost a fumble on the opening drive. He has no business being anything beyond an emergency-level quarterback, and his struggles have Falcons fans clamoring to see Michael Penix Jr. return to the lineup.
The burning question of this early season has been when Penix will come back after his torn ACL. After he was cleared for full contact at the end of training camp, there was optimism he'd be back in time for Week 1, but instead, they're opting to take things slow and not rush him back to the field.
But thanks to NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter, we now have a possible target date--and with the way Rush has played, we better hope that it's true.
"Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons' preferred starter, is nearing a return and could make his 2026 debut Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, Rapoport and Schefter reported."
Falcons fans better pray Michael Penix Jr.'s return timeline holds true
It's now being reported that Week 3 was always the target date for Michael Penix Jr. to make his long-awaited return, but something isn't adding up here. If that was the case, why didn't Kevin Stefanski just say that and offer false hope about his progress? The lack of transparency is absolutely astounding.
It might seem weird to allow the 26-year-old to make his season debut on a short week when they play on Monday Night Football in Week 4, but Schefter made it sound like the Dirty Birds have been preparing for this possibility since he split first-team reps with Rush in practice this past week.
If Penix is unable to go, it seems that it would be another week of Cooper Rush starting--and nobody wants to see him under the bright lights of Thursday Night Football at Lambeau Field. If anything, that would be the perfect time for the former top-10 pick to lead the Falcons to their first win of the year.
Even without Micah Parsons, this Packers defense would demolish Rush. This offensive line has been held together by duct tape and he's wasting a super talented group of weapons. I can't speak for you all, but I can't bear watching another week of this offense being virtually unable to move the football.
Penix returning would inject some life in a unit that is in desperate need of any sort of juice. They can attack defenses downfield, turnovers have been an issue, and most coaching staffs aren't getting much out of a career journeyman who spent most of the summer in free agency. But a young, former first-round pick looking to cement himself as a franchise guy, that's another story.
Michael Penix Jr.'s return is clearly close, and given Cooper Rush is near the bottom of the NFL in every statistic, getting some competent QB play is what this Falcons team needs to turn things around.
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