Michael Penix Jr. expected to start for Falcons vs. Bears after rib injury
First and North: The Bears get blown out, but the Packers suffer a big loss.
After the worst loss of Ben Johnson’s tenure in Chicago, the Bears now wait to see if Caleb Williams can return, while Montez Sweat get dealt a two game suspension. Jahmyr Gibbs passes Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns in NFL history by a player under 25 in Detroit’s win, The Packers lose their defensive tackle for the season during their blowout win and The Vikings stayed unbeaten behind Brian Flores’ defense.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is on track to start for the Atlanta Falcons Sunday against the Chicago Bears after leaving last week's loss to Baltimore with a rib injury.
Penix was expected to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday. Coach Kevin Stefanski said Penix will start against the Bears "as long as everything goes according to plan."
What they're saying:
Penix led the Falcons (2-3) to two straight wins before Sunday night's 30-23 overtime loss to the Ravens. He was held out in the overtime period after suffering the injury in the fourth quarter.
Penix missed the first two games of the season while completing his recovery from a torn ACL in his left knee that ended his 2025 season. The Falcons were 0-2 with Cooper Rush as the fill-in starter. Tua Tagovailoa played behind Penix against Baltimore and threw a game-ending interception in overtime.
Stefanski provided no details on the results of tests on Penix's rib. Even before the tests, Penix said he was determined to start against Chicago "because I’ve sat out enough in my career. ... I will work my tail off to make sure I’m back out there on that field."
Stefanski said he wanted to see Penix's level of comfort on the field.
"Penix will be limited in some fashion," Stefanski said. "We’ll see how he’s feeling and have communication with him to see how many reps he will take off, so that’s to be determined.
"I want to see how he’s feeling with any injury like this. You want to make sure as they move around and how they’re feeling. He's feeling better."
What's next:
Cornerback C.J. Henderson (groin) did not practice Wednesday. Stefanski said Henderson is improving and added "I'm not ruling him out."
The status of defensive end Za’Darius Smith (concussion, neck), who was inactive against Baltimore, also may not be determined until later in the week.
The Source: Story and reporting is from the Associated Press.