Michael Penix Jr. expected to start for Falcons vs. Bears

The first good sign came before Stefanski even reached the podium: Penix was going to practice.

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

#Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr is set to practice today, despite a rib injury. A good sign for his availability this weekend.

For a guy who got folded up late in a loss 3 days earlier, that matters. Penix took the rib shot on a sack by Ravens outside linebacker Tavius Robinson late in regulation Sunday night. Baltimore won 30-23 in overtime, and Tua Tagovailoa, who came on in relief in OT, threw the interception that ended it. Atlanta fell to 2-3, and the next quarterback question showed up right away.

On Monday Stefanski wouldn't commit to anything. He said he wanted to see how Penix's body held up over a couple of days, and that he'd know more by Wednesday. Now it's Wednesday and the news is mostly good, with the caveat that nobody knows how much Penix will actually do on the practice field.

Daniel Flick

@ByDanielFlick

Michael Penix Jr. is trending toward starting this week, Kevin Stefanski said. His snap count in practice today could be "some, all, none," entirely depending on how he feels.

So "some, all, none" is the honest answer about practice reps. It's a limited session, the staff will see what he can handle, and how the ribs feel tomorrow morning tells them more than anything that happens today. Rib injuries are annoying for a quarterback in a very specific way. Throwing hurts, twisting hurts, and every hit he takes on Sunday is going to land on that spot.

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

Falcons HC Kevin Stefanski said he expects QB Michael Penix Jr. to start Sunday against the Bears as long as he has no setbacks to his rib injury.

Here's why it's a big deal in Atlanta. The Falcons are 2-1 in Penix's starts this season and 0-2 in Cooper Rush's, and they just lost a game where Tua had the ball in overtime and gave it away. At 2-3 they can't spot anybody another loss. Having Penix under center against Chicago is the difference between a winnable game and another week of guessing at backup quarterback.

Next up is the practice report. If Penix moves from limited Wednesday to something closer to full by Friday, he plays. If he's still limited or ends up with a game-status designation, the Bears have something to think about. For now Stefanski is saying start, and everybody in Atlanta is hoping the ribs agree.