Michael Penix Jr. is Back to Save the Falcons' Cursed QB Room

The Atlanta Falcons are finally getting a healthy quarterback, which is a sentence that usually requires a fact-checker.

According to Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter, Michael Penix Jr. has been cleared for takeoff and could start as early as Thursday against the Green Bay Packers.

"Ian Rapoport reported the Falcons could have a full and healthy QB room by this week."

Calling the Falcons' quarterback room "healthy" is a bit like calling a 1998 Honda Civic reliable because it started on the first try this morning. Penix is coming off a Grade 3 ACL tear from last November—his third major knee reconstruction dating back to college.

He is stepping in because Tua Tagovailoa is currently nursing an oblique injury that kept him out of Week 1 and has him listed as doubtful. Between Penix's knees and Tua's everything else, Atlanta's depth chart reads less like a football roster and more like a WebMD symptom checker.

The Falcons desperately need a pulse under center. They managed a pathetic 13 points in their season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. You cannot win in the modern NFL when your offense looks like it is playing in wet cement.

For anyone looking at the Thursday night lines, Penix's return is the ultimate wild card. Oddsmakers now have to price in a guy with a cannon for a left arm who hasn't taken a live snap in ten months, going up against a Packers defense that just gave up 39 points to the Minnesota Vikings.

Thursday is going to be a massive test for Penix's rebuilt knee and Atlanta's season trajectory. If he looks like his old self, the Falcons might actually have a functioning offense. If not, they will be right back to holding their breath every time Tua stretches his torso.