Is Michael Penix Jr. Playing Today? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Falcons vs. Steelers in NFL Week 1)

The Atlanta Falcons have a major quarterback issue heading into Week 1 of the 2026 season, as Michael Penix Jr. (ACL recovery) and Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) have both been ruled out against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That has led to the Falcons planning to start veteran Cooper Rush, who appeared in four games (two starts) for the Baltimore Ravens in the 2025 season. Rush struggled in those appearances, leading Baltimore to an 0-2 mark in his starts while throwing for 303 yards and four picks (no touchdowns) during the season.

All of the Falcons' injury issues have caused oddsmakers at DraftKings to move the odds for Sunday's Falcons vs. Steelers matchup pretty considerably. Atlanta opened up as a 3.5-point road underdog with Tagovailoa expected to start, but the line has six moved to Pittsburgh -6.5.

The Falcons are one of the bigger underdogs in Week 1, and it's currently unclear when Tagovailoa or Penix will be able to return.

According to NFL insider James Palmer, Penix is cleared to play and is healthy, but he's not where he feels that he needs to be. The former first-round pick has dealt with a ton of knee injuries in his playing career, and he wasn't cleared for 11-on-11 action until late last month.

As for Michael Penix, he's cleared. He’s healthy. He’s also not where he feels he needs to be right now and he told Stefanski that. He does feel very close though, so it's not expected to be long before he’s good to go.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) September 11, 2026

It's possible that Penix will walk right into the starting job once he's good to go, as Tagovailoa didn't really impress during the preseason. After getting cut by Miami in the offseason, Tagovailoa signed with Atlanta for a chance to compete with Penix for the starting job.

Last season, Penix appeared in nine games, leading Atlanta to a 3-6 record in those matchups. The University of Washington product threw for 1,982 yards, nine scores and three picks while completing 60.1 percent of his passes. He also added 70 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

Atlanta's quarterback situation is one of the worst in the NFL, but it's clear that both Tagovailoa and Penix are upgrades over Rush in the eyes of oddsmakers.

Sports Illustrated spoke to various oddsmakers this week about the Falcons' quarterback situation, and it some believe that Penix is the better option while others view the two as even when it comes to how they assess the spread.

Christian Cipollini, a Senior Trading Manager from BetMGM, is one of the oddsmakers that values Penix over Tagovailoa: "If Penix was fully healthy and were to start we might move half a point to get to -3 but the spread difference between the two QBs won't be much more than a point all season. "

It'll be interesting to see if either quarterback is good to go for the Falcons in Week 2.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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