Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has no injury designation and is set to start Sunday against the Bears. ESPN reported he has been fully cleared. He left last week's game with injured ribs.
NFL Trade Rumors, citing Ian Rapoport, adds the most detail. Penix had an MRI on his ribs on Monday to determine whether he would miss any time. He was able to practice this week and said he was good to go. Rapoport's note, per that outlet, is that he is off the team's injury report and set to start Week 6. Pro Football Talk and Yahoo Sports carried the same news in shorter form. None of the summaries we have says which ribs were hurt or what the MRI showed.
The Falcons are 2-3 and second in the NFC South, with one loss in a row. That was a 30-23 defeat to Baltimore on Sunday, Oct. 11, the game Penix left. Before it, Atlanta won 45-24 at New Orleans on Oct. 5 and 35-14 at Green Bay on Sept. 24.
Penix has played in three games this season and has been effective. He has completed 52 of 77 passes (67.5%) for 719 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, with a 104.8 rating. In the Baltimore game he went 19 of 32 for 240 yards and a touchdown, and was sacked three times for 17 yards. That is the most sacks he has taken in a game this year. He has taken four sacks in total. His best game came in New Orleans, where he completed 15 of 20 for 223 yards and a 127.7 rating.
The reports do not say whether Penix finished the Baltimore game or what his limitations might be, so how his ribs hold up against a pass rush is the thing to watch Sunday. The Falcons host the Bears on Oct. 18.
Sun, Oct 18, 1:00 PM ET
Discussion