There was a reason that Atlanta Falcons fans were waiting so patiently to see Michael Penix Jr. return to the field, and he just proved exactly why. They were sitting at 0-2 without a single red-zone possession and hope was dwindling with every day Cooper Rush started, but his return to the gridiron offered a much-needed glimmer of hope.
After missing the first two games while continuing to rehab his ACL tear, Penix returned to the starting lineup in the Falcons' Week 3 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. On Thursday Night Football at Lambeau Field, he led Atlanta to their first win of the season (and the Kevin Stefanski era) by a score of 35-14.
He was adamant on waiting until he felt good to play, and that decision now looks genius.
Under the bright lights of primetime, the third-year QB dazzled in his season debut. He completed 18 of 25 pass attempts for 256 passing yards, a passing touchdown, and an interception. So if I were to give a grade on his performance, it would be on the stronger side of the spectrum: a respectable B+.
Penix's grade: A-
It was awfully promising not only for his first game action in 10 months, but also for his hopes of cementing himself as a possible franchise QB.
Michael Penix Jr. passed his first test of 2026 with flying colors
I was awfully tempted to make this grade an A flat, but let's be real here: it wasn't perfect. The 26-year-old threw an interception on his first pass attempt of the game on a play that was admittedly a terrible throw, but the good news is that it all went up from there thanks to Bijan Robinson and Drake London.
But rather than lose confidence and get down on himself after the early pick, he improved as the game went on because he was eased into the gameplan--and that turned out to be successful.
I'm not going to knock Penix for not throwing the ball a ton given both the game script and how dominant Bijan looked. The guy carried the ball 29 times for 194 yards. With how much they were up, it would've been a disservice had Tommy Rees not fed him like the best running back in the NFL he is.
For starters, Michael Penix Jr. looked a whole lot more comfortable in this new system compared to whatever the hell Zac Robinson was running. There looked to be more play-action concepts tonight, and according to Next Gen Stats, he lined up under center for a career-high 35 snaps, trumping his previous best of eight--and that did a whole lot more than confirm that Rush was the problem.
It wasn't an ideal start, but how he responded made it worthwhile. After going just 2-of-7 with that aforementioned pick in the first quarter, the former top-10 pick went on to complete 16 of his next 18 pass attempts for 234 yards and a touchdown to Austin Hooper. That is what we call resilience.
Moreover, the best news was that the downfield passing attack finally returned to form thanks to Penix and London's elite connection. They connected nine times for 194 yards, including deep shots for gains of 40 and 68 yards--just imagine what damage they could've done with a less favorable game script.
Other than the interception, No. 9 was truly stellar--and it's nice to see him taking a leap in real time when everyone was dunking on him for the longer-than-expected recovery time. And given it was his first game off reconstructive ACL surgery, you have to give the guy credit for what was accomplished.
Michael Penix Jr.'s season debut couldn't have gone much better, so hopefully he's able to keep offering the Dirty Birds the juice we saw on TNF as he auditions to save his future in Atlanta.
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