Sept. 24, 2026, 7:03 a.m.
ET
10 months after suffering his third career ACL tear, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is officially back in action. Penix will make his much-anticipated return to the starting lineup in tonight’s game against the Green Bay Packers. The third-year quarterback sat out the first two games of the year, but he reportedly told head coach Kevin Stefanski that he felt ready to go on Sunday evening.
In Week 3, the 0-2 Falcons will hand Penix the football with their season on life-support. While the former top-10 pick has yet to prove he can be a franchise QB, the talent has always been there. With the offense struggling – zero red-zone trips through the first two games – the Falcons are desperate to get their highly paid weapons involved. Drake London and Kyle Pitts have been non-factors thus far, but Penix has the ability to get them the ball down the field.
An uptick in the passing game would also help create more space for Bijan Robinson on the ground. On defense, Atlanta won’t have cornerback A.J. Terrell, who was placed on the injured reserve with a groin injury. That leaves CJ Henderson to fill in for the team’s No.
1 cornerback on Thursday night. Check out the Falcons’ starting lineup on offense, defense and special teams for Week 3 below. Falcons Week 3 starting lineup: Offense QB Michael Penix Jr. RB Bijan Robinson WR Drake London WR Jahan Dotson WR Olamide Zaccheaus TE Kyle Pitts TE Charlie Woerner LT Jake Matthews LG Matthew Bergeron C Ryan Neuzil RG Chris Lindstrom RT Jawaan Taylor Falcons Week 3 starting lineup: Defense DE Cameron Thomas DL Maason Smith DL LaCale London DE Brandon Dorlus ILB Divine Deablo ILB Kendal Daniels CB CJ Henderson CB Mike Hughes NB Avieon Terrell S Jessie Bates III S Xavier Watts Falcons Week 3 starting lineup: Special Teams K Nick Folk P Jake Bailey LS Liam Mccullough KR Brian Robinson PR Zachariah Branch Thursday night’s Falcons-Packers matchup kicks off at 8:15 p.m.
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