Michael Penix Jr. Likely to Start for Falcons Despite Rib Injury

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is expected to start Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears, despite sustaining a rib injury late in last week's contest. Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski stated Wednesday that Penix is on track to play, barring any unforeseen issues.

Penix suffered the injury on a sack during Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens. He briefly returned to the field but was unable to continue in overtime, leading to Tua Tagovailoa taking over at quarterback. Penix underwent an MRI earlier in the week, and while he was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, he expressed optimism about his condition.

"I felt good today at practice," Penix told reporters. "… I just gotta stay on top of my rehab and just make sure I'm doing all the right things. I feel good to go this week, so that's the plan."

Stefanski acknowledged that Penix's practice workload would depend on his recovery throughout the week. "With any injury like this, you want to make sure as they move around and how they're feeling -- it could be all, some, none. We shall see," Stefanski said.

Later on Wednesday, ESPN reported that Penix took all of the first-team repetitions in practice, suggesting he is progressing well. His injury history, including an ACL tear last November that caused him to miss the Falcons' first two games this season, has been a point of focus.

Meanwhile, the status of Bears' quarterback Caleb Williams for Sunday's game also remains uncertain as he has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. However, Bears head coach Ben Johnson indicated that Williams would be listed as a full participant on the team's latest injury report.