The Falcons expect quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to practice Wednesday, which would be the first sign that the rib injury he picked up Sunday night won't cost him this weekend's game. Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper wrote that Penix was confident he had avoided a serious rib injury when he was hurt, and that nothing has changed that outlook in the last couple of days. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, as relayed on r/nfl, said Penix is set to practice and called it a good sign for his availability.

CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan is more cautious. He wrote that Penix is likely to start against the Bears but that his status could change. Of the four items, only CBS includes that caveat. The Pro Football Talk and Rapoport items, at least as summarized in the feeds we have, carry no such warning. None of them says how limited Penix might be on Wednesday, and the practice report will be the first real indication.

The injury came in the 30-23 overtime loss to Baltimore at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. CBS places it in Week 5. Penix finished that game, going 19 of 32 for 240 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions and a 93.2 rating. He was sacked three times. He also ran twice for 8 yards and had one fumble that Atlanta recovered. The reporting doesn't say when in the game he was hurt or on what play, so we can't tie the injury to any of those snaps.

Penix has been effective when he has played this season. Through three appearances he has completed 52 of 77 passes (67.5%) for 719 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, averaging 9.3 yards per attempt with a 104.8 rating. That is a clear step up from his 2025 line of 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns and a 88.5 rating over nine games. Atlanta has played five games and he has appeared in three, so he has not been on the field for all of them. The reporting doesn't explain why, and we won't guess.

The stakes are real for a Falcons team that is 2-3 and second in the NFC South, now on a one-game losing streak. Before Sunday, Atlanta had won 45-24 at New Orleans on Oct. 5 and 35-14 at Green Bay on Sept. 24, so the offense had been producing before the Baltimore game.

Atlanta hosts Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 18. Wednesday's practice participation is the first checkpoint. Sullivan's caveat that his status could change means the rest of the week's injury reports will decide whether Penix starts.