Is Michael Penix Jr. Playing Today? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Bears vs. Falcons in NFL Week 6)

Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. suffered a rib injury in Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season against the Baltmore Ravens.

After missing two games to open the season recovering from a torn ACL, Penix has led the Falcons to a 2-1 record in three appearances in 2026. He was hit late in the fourth quarter of the team's Week 5 loss to Baltimore, sitting out Atlanta's overtime drive.

Tua Tagovailoa replaced Penix, throwing a game-ending interception to Kyle Hamilton to drop the Falcons back under .500. Penix's status for Week 6 appeared to be in question after the loss, but he does not carry an injury designation on Sunday and is expected to start against the Chicago Bears.

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. has no injury designation for Sunday’s game and is expected to start vs. the Bears. pic.twitter.com/IhJbz7cD5K
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 16, 2026

That's great news for the Falcons, as they're looking to stay in the mix to win he NFC South in the 2026 season. Penix has really raised the ceiling of this offense, ranking sixth amongst quarterbacks with at least 50 plays this season in EPA/Play and fifth in success rate.

Atlanta went from the worst offensive team in the league in EPA/Play through two weeks all the way up to 18th after three games of Penix in action.

The odds for this game have gone all over the place with both Penix and Caleb Williams (Chicago's starting quarterback) dealing with injuries. Both are expected to play on Sunday, which has settled the odds at Bears -1.5.

However, the Falcons opened as 1.5-point favorites against Chicago, and this line actually moved to as far as Bears -3 with Penix's status in question. It has come back down now at DraftKings Sportsbook that the former first-round pick is off the injury report.

Through three games, Penix has completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 719 yards, three scores and one interception. He'll look to lead Atlanta to an upset win -- at home -- in this battle between two NFC playoff contenders.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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