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Massive Michael Penix Jr. Injury Update Shifts Falcons vs. Packers Odds in NFL Week 3
In this story:
The Atlanta Falcons' quarterback saga may finally be coming to an end.
Former first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. missed the first two weeks of the 2026 season recovering from a torn ACL, but the team named him the starter ahead of Thursday night's Week 3 matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
Michael Penix Jr. has been named starting quarterback for Thursday's gamehttps://t.co/EyBzaBvKii pic.twitter.com/320iqTJ4hN
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 21, 2026
Penix's return is a welcome sign for the Falcons, who started Cooper Rush in back-to-back games and saw Jack Strand turn the ball over twice after Rush was benched in Week 2. The Falcons have the worst EPA/Play on offense in the NFL through the first two weeks of the season.
Oddsmakers at DraftKings made a pretty significant adjustment to the spread for Thursday's showdown, as the Falcons moved from seven-point underdogs to six-point underdogs after Penix was named the starter. While the oddsmakers are expecting Green Bay to win its home opener, the Falcons clealry have a much better chance with Penix under center than Rush or Strand.
Last season, Penix started nine games for Atlanta, going 3-6 in those matchups. He completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine scores and three picks. It is possible that Penix is the best quarterback the Falcons have, especially with Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) missing the first two games of the season.
Even though we haven’t seen him in game action in 2026, Penix has already caused a positive move to the spread for Atlanta compared to Rush or Strand.
The Falcons are a long shot to make the playoffs and win the Super Bowl this season, but an upset win in Week 3 would likely change some of the sentiment around this team. After all, Atlanta plays in the weak NFC South, so it isn't out of the division race by any means this early in the season.
It'll be interesting to see how Penix fares in his first game action since he went down in Week 11 last season.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Peter is the associate managing editor for Sports Illustrated Betting. He has worked as a writer and editor for BetSided, NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, betting and more. He is a hoops fanatic with a soft spot for his New York Knicks.
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