Yahoo Sports NFL on Michael Penix Jr.

Penix Jr. now has the Falcons starting job to lose after Tagovailoa's poor preseason.

Michael Penix Jr. has emerged as the Falcons' starting quarterback after Tagovailoa's disappointing training camp and preseason performance. Ian Rapoport reported that the starting job is now "Penix's to lose" following Tagovailoa's struggles. The source notes that the original plan was to have Penix remain inactive for the first several games while recovering from his 2025 ACL injury, but Tagovailoa's poor play has accelerated Penix's timeline. Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Penix would split reps with the first-team offense, though he would not speculate on whether Penix will start Week 1 against the Steelers.

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