Michael Penix Jr. went down in the third quarter against Carolina with Atlanta leading 21-16, walked into the medical tent, and never came back. Kirk Cousins took over, the Falcons blew the lead and lost 30-27 in overtime, and Penix’s season was effectively over. Nearly 10 months later, Atlanta’s offense is already stumbling through the new season, and the quarterback it once built its future around is finally being thrown back into the fire.

The Falcons announced on Monday that Penix will start at quarterback on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. It will be his first start since he suffered a season-ending knee injury last November.

Atlanta’s offense has not just started slowly. Through two weeks, it has looked fundamentally broken. In Week 1 against Pittsburgh, the Falcons managed only 238 total yards and converted just two of 12 third downs. Cooper Rush threw for 143 yards with two interceptions and was sacked four times, leaving Bijan Robinson to carry most of the offensive load.

The problems were already building before kickoff. Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out with an oblique injury, while Michael Penix Jr. remained unavailable as he worked back from knee surgery. Atlanta turned to Rush, then lost All-Pro guard Chris Lindstrom to a concussion during the game. By Week 2, the offensive line was still dealing with multiple health concerns, while Rush himself appeared on the injury report with a back issue.

Carolina made those weaknesses impossible to ignore. Rush threw for only 86 yards before being benched after two interceptions, while rookie Jack Strand added another pick. Atlanta finished the 34-3 loss with five giveaways, and its quarterbacks combined for 145 passing yards without a touchdown.

The frustrating part is that Atlanta still has legitimate skill-position talent. Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Robinson were all available, yet the passing game created almost nothing explosive. London led the team with 51 receiving yards against Carolina, Pitts had one catch for 15 yards, and Robinson managed only nine receiving yards.

Through 25 offensive possessions, Atlanta has yet to reach the red zone, has scored on only four drives and has committed seven turnovers.

The drought is historically bad, too: Atlanta is the first NFL team since the 2008 Rams to go through the first two games of a season without running a single play in the red zone.

Injuries and instability have clearly contributed, but Rush’s four interceptions and Atlanta’s inability to threaten defenses vertically have made quarterback the most obvious point of concern.

That is the offense Michael Penix Jr. is now being asked to revive. But before Atlanta could turn back to him, Penix had to decide he was finally ready to take it back.

Penix Refused to Rush the Comeback

Penix had been close to returning before the season began, but he refused to treat medical clearance as the finish line.

“I just told [head coach Kevin Stefanski] I’m not where I want to be right now,” Penix said. “And I want to be able to be 100% so I can help the team win football games. And I’m really close. Really close.”

The caution was understandable. The knee injury he suffered last November was the third torn ACL of his football career and his first in the left knee. After surgery ended his 2025 season, Atlanta gradually increased his workload before clearing him for 11-on-11 work late in the preseason.

“There’s just a couple of technical things that I want to hit, some goals that I have that I want to achieve before I do stuff out on that field,” Penix said last week.

Penix never questioned whether he wanted to return. The issue was whether his body could handle it.

“Mentally, I want to go play,” Penix said. “But I’m not going to go out there if I don’t feel where I need to be physically.”

By last week, Atlanta’s coaching staff was seeing enough progress to believe that point was approaching. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said Penix had been moving well as his workload increased.

“I think Mike’s looked good,” Rees said last week. “He’s been really going here for a few weeks now.”

That was enough for Atlanta to stop waiting. But Penix’s reward for clearing the final hurdle is a short-week trip to Lambeau with the Falcons already under pressure.

Penix Returns, but Atlanta Is Still the Underdog

Now the caution has finally given way to opportunity. Penix gets the call against Green Bay with Atlanta 0-2 and an offense badly in need of a reset.

The early Week 3 numbers still favor the Packers. Dimers gives Green Bay a 74.4% win probability and projects a 25-17 result, with the Packers opening around a 6.5-point favorite. Considering Atlanta’s first two weeks, that skepticism is hardly surprising.

Penix at least gives the offense a different profile. Covers has Atlanta at +7.5, while the New York Post also expects the Falcons to stay within the number. Rush has offered little downfield threat through two games, whereas Penix brings a stronger vertical arm and a better record of protecting the football.

Last season, Penix threw for 1,982 yards with nine touchdowns and only three interceptions in nine starts while averaging 7.2 yards per attempt. Before suffering the knee injury against Carolina, he was 13-of-16 for 175 yards with no turnovers and a 112.2 passer rating.

But those numbers come with an obvious caveat. Penix has not played a regular-season snap in nearly 10 months, is returning from the third ACL tear of his career and gets a short-week road assignment at Lambeau immediately upon his return. Atlanta does not need him to transform the offense overnight. It needs him to protect the football, threaten Green Bay vertically and stop defenses from collapsing everything toward Bijan Robinson.