Michael Penix Jr. will make his season debut in primetime this week, giving the winless Atlanta Falcons much-needed relief at quarterback. The Falcons announced Monday that Penix will start Thursday night on the road against the Green Bay Packers. It will be Penix's first start since Week 11 last November when he tore his left ACL.

Penix had reconstructive surgery and was cleared to practice fully in late August but told the team before Week 1 he was not ready for live action. Tua Tagovailoa, signed in the offseason, got the starting job out of training camp but suffered an oblique injury, forcing third-stringer Cooper Rush into starts. Rush struggled, going 22-of-39 for 229 yards with one touchdown, four interceptions and a lost fumble.

Rush was benched for undrafted rookie Jack Strand in Sunday's 34-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Strand threw a pick-six on his first pass attempt, finishing 8-of-15 for 59 yards. He was the first quarterback to throw a pick-six on his first career pass since Sam Darnold in 2018 and the first Falcons QB since Brett Favre in 1991.

Penix, 26, has completed 59.6% of his passes for 2,757 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions over two seasons. He was drafted No. 8 by Atlanta in 2024 and replaced Kirk Cousins late in the 2024 season. Penix still has only 12 career starts.