The Atlanta Falcons are heading into Thursday night with their season already at a crossroads, and Michael Penix Jr. is the one they’re counting on to steady the whole thing. After two ugly losses, Atlanta gets the Green Bay Packers on a short week, and the margin for error is already razor-thin. An 0-3 start would bury the Falcons in a deep hole, while a win could flip the mood around the entire season.
Penix says he’s ready to take the field, and he’s not backing away from the moment.
"I'm very excited," Penix said of his return. "You know, obviously, excited to be able to be out there. I'm going to war with my brothers."
He also pushed back on the idea that he should have been out there the last two weeks.
"I love this sport. I am never going to sit out if I am healthy."
That sets the stage for a prime-time setting Penix knows well. He led Washington to the National Championship in his final year of college, and he already has Falcons prime-time wins on his résumé from last season against the Buffalo Bills and the Minnesota Vikings.
Atlanta also made a significant roster move on defense, placing cornerback A.J. Terrell on injured reserve.
Terrell is dealing with multiple injuries, including a groin issue, and missed most of Week 2 because of it. In a corresponding move, the Falcons signed defensive lineman Zach Harrison off the practice squad.
Harrison was one of the surprise cuts when the 53-man roster was set, but he’s back on the active roster in time for the Packers game. He was elevated from the practice squad in Week 2, and with Samson Ebukam dealing with an injury, his role should grow even more in Week 3.
The Falcons are also expected to add more help in the secondary. NFL insider Mike Garafolo reported that Atlanta is set to sign cornerback Robert Longerbeam off the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad.
Longerbeam entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Rutgers, but an injury landed him on IR and kept him out for his entire rookie season. The Ravens waived him in August, and he later landed with Philadelphia’s practice squad.
As for the injury picture heading into Thursday, Tua Tagovailoa was a full participant after being limited on Monday. He’s been working through an oblique injury since Week 1 and was inactive for Atlanta’s first two games.
The Falcons listed nine players on Tuesday’s injury report, but Samson Ebukam was the only one who did not practice. He missed his second straight day because of a hamstring injury.
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Bijan Robinsons name has already become central to the Falcons offense, and now it sits next to a piece of team history that would be unusual even by Atlanta standards. Amid a run of recent NFL milestones around the league, Robinson has given the Falcons something more immediate to watch in Week 3: the possibility of a running back reaching a franchise mark that has been on the books for years.
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Michael Penix Jr. looms over the conversation because the pairing has already shown real promise when given time together. In 14 games with Penix, London has piled up 91 catches for 1,286 yards and 9 touchdowns, a track record that makes the quarterback decision feel even more important as Atlanta tries to stabilize its passing game and keep one of its top weapons engaged. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Face An Ugly Reality Entering Packers Matchup
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For Atlanta, the matchup is less about matching the Packers punch for punch and more about avoiding another lopsided afternoon that deepens the pressure around the team. Green Bay is being forecast to handle this one comfortably, which leaves the Falcons with an ugly reality in front of them and a chance to show some progress in a spot where the margin for error looks thin. [Read more 🡒]