Michael Penix Jr. has a lot on the line amid his return to the starting lineup

All summer long, Atlanta Falcons fans have been waiting for the day that Michael Penix Jr. would return to the lineup--and now it's finally here. After a brutal performance in yesterday's Week 2 loss, the focus is already on Week 3, where it was just announced that Penix would start in Thursday night's matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

There was optimism all week that Penix would be able to return on a short week in Green Bay, and that speculation is now a reality. And it also settles the Falcons' QB controversy that took over in the two weeks he was inactive since Tua Tagovailoa was also inactive and the team had to start Cooper Rush.

And Rush was absolutely dreadful. He's coming off of a three-turnover performance in the 34-3 loss to the Panthers where he was benched midway through the third quarter for undrafted rookie Jack Strand and his struggles were the main reason everyone was so keen to see the 26-year-old return.

Michael Penix Jr. is officially back in the Atlanta Falcons' starting lineup

Michael Penix Jr. hasn't played in a regular season game since last November when he tore his ACL against the Panthers. He's spent the last 10 months rehabbing and the better part of the last months taking part in 11-on-11s after being cleared for full contact, but they never wanted to rush him back.

It seems a bit weird that they chose to start him on the road in Green Bay because that means he likely could've started in Week 2 just four days prior--but I digress. When it comes to a player with Penix's injury history, you always be cautious, even if the general masses are going to disagree.

Kevin Stefanski confirmed that the Falcons always had a plan for their young passer, but ultimately they would let Penix dictate where he's at and how he feels. Last week, he said he's "real close", but the timeline remained open-ended, but now he'll make his season debut under the lights of primetime at Lambeau Field.

And while it will come against a Micah Parsons-less Packers' pass-rush, that's still no easy matchup. They're near the top of the NFL in sacks and it's not like this unit has been stellar. And the worst part? Starting RT Jawaan Taylor is dealing with a rib injury so there's no guarantee he is able to play on TNF.

The former top-10 pick has a lot on the line in his first start back. He's fighting to prove he can consistently stay healthy and prove he has merit to be the Dirty Birds' franchise QB--because if he's unable to do either of these things, this new regime won't hesitate to draft a quarterback in April.

Given the Falcons' offense is the only offense in the NFL and the first since 2008 to not have a single red-zone possession through two games, they badly need a spark. Drake London and Kyle Pitts have been invisible and his return means the downfield passing game is more of a threat, which will take pressure off of BIjan Robinson.

It remains to be seen how Michael Penix Jr. will look in his first game action since last year, but the QB woes are now temporarily over and we can finally evaluate Kevin Stefanski and this new staff now that he's healthy--which starts with a tough test on primetime.

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