The Atlanta Falcons may have avoided disaster.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (rib) is expected to start in Atlanta's Week 6 game against Chicago, coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Wednesday.
"Yes," Stefanski said when asked if Penix would start. "It's trending. ... As long as everything goes according to plan, yes."
Penix later told reporters that he "felt good" at Wednesday's practice and that his MRI and imaging results were "all positive," per the team's official site.
Penix added that he made "every throw" at practice.
Penix suffered a rib injury in the final minute of the fourth quarter of Sunday night's overtime loss to Baltimore and was unable to finish the game, forcing veteran backup Tua Tagovailoa into action. Tagovailoa's interception thrown in overtime sealed the win for the Ravens, who overcame an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime and emerge victorious.
Without Penix, Atlanta's hopes of victory faded. Tagovailoa managed to complete two passes for 34 yards, but the game-ending interception was all too familiar to those who watched his final years in Miami. With Penix's status uncertain, the rollercoaster of a season appeared set to take another dive.
Instead, Atlanta appears to have escaped the worst. Penix will practice in a limited fashion Wednesday as the Falcons continue to monitor his status, but as Stefanski said, the quarterback is feeling better than he did in the aftermath of the injury suffered when he was sacked with 27 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Falcons will need him. Since Penix's return from last year's knee injury, their offense has enjoyed a massive turnaround, jumping from an average of eight points scored per game in Weeks 1-2 to 40 in Weeks 3-4.
With the Carolina Panthers narrowly ahead of the 2-3 Falcons in the NFC South standings and dates with Chicago, San Francisco and Tampa Bay awaiting Atlanta in the next three weeks, there's no time to waste.
