The Atlanta Falcons benched backup quarterback Cooper Rush after he threw for 86 yards and two interceptions and lost a fumble in Sunday's 34-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand didn't provide more hope for the Falcons, going 8 of 15 passing for 59 yards and one interception to go along with a lost fumble. Through their first two games, the Falcons have yet to run a play inside the red zone.
On Monday, the Falcons made a change at starting quarterback that should help the team put more points on the board against the Green Bay Packers on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 3. More News: Exclusive: Breakout NFL Executives Who Could Become Future General Managers More News: 4 QBs Generating Serious Trade Buzz Weeks Before NFL Regular Season Starts Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Falcons named Michael Penix Jr. as the starter for Thursday night's game. "The Falcons are starting Michael Penix Jr for Week 3, as QB1 makes his first start," Rapoport posted on X.
"Penix has deemed his reconstructed ACL ready after splitting reps last week with the 1. The Packers loom on Thursday. This was best-case scenario for the Falcons.
Penix is ready." It was a dramatic announcement after the fan base for the Falcons criticized Rush and the offense heavily on social media. There had been questions about how people in side of the Falcons' building felt about Penix missing the first two games. Penix missed the first two games as he was getting psychologically ready to play football after going through his third-career ACL injury.
Tua Tagovailoa was set to begin the season as Atlanta's starting quarterback, but he suffered an oblique injury days before the Falcons' 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1. Tagovailoa could be the backup quarterback to Penix in Week 3. Through his first two seasons, Penix has competed 59.6% of his passes for 2,757 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
The Falcons should be in better shape with Penix as the starting quarterback. Through the first two games, running back Bijan Robinson has been the leading receiver for the Falcons with 11 receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Drake London, who signed a four-year, $141 million contract in the offseason, has caught just six passes for 80 yards amid the Falcons' quarterback woes.
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