Michael Penix Jr. Day to Day with Bone Bruise on Lower Leg
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The Atlanta Falcons make nothing easy. Michael Penix Jr. has truly had an up and down 2025 as the team is currently .500 (3-3). Clearly, the second year quarterback is a different signal caller when his pocket is kept clean. However, the speed of the NFL rattles Penix Jr. a little too often.
For now, the real question is this. Will Atlanta's starter be able to play on Sunday against a down and out Miami Dolphins team? Let us take a look and see if we can find out a little more.
Michael Penix Jr. Needs To Be 100% Healthy
Why? It was abundantly clear on Sunday against San Francisco. Penix Jr. has enough on his mind when it comes to the football field. Dealing with an injury and a blitzing 49ers defense was too much for the young quarterback.
Michael Penix Jr. vs the 49ers defense...
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 21, 2025
When kept clean: 18-25, 180 yards, 7.2 YPA, 105.4 RTG
When pressured: 3-13, 61 yards, 4.7 YPA, 46.6 RTG
This does not even include blitz rate. Penix Jr. performed even worse when blitzed. Add in that foot/ankle issue only made things worse. It is no secret that defenses understand the quarterback will take some plays off. He can look great on one drive and completely different the next. For as bad as Kirk Cousins was in 2024, Penix Jr. has quite a few worrying inconsistencies.
There are a couple of real concerns here. For one, Penix Jr. practiced with definite limitations. It is far from certain that he plays Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins. Strangely, Penix Jr. looked great against Buffalo and then regressed again versus San Francisco. The 49ers have a defense that can still get after the quarterback. Buffalo cannot say that.
Penix Jr. had opportunities early and squandered them. Then, there were the mistakes. It felt like Week 3 in Charlotte where Carolina appeared to have a huge leg up on what Penix Jr. was trying to do. San Francisco believed Atlanta was telegraphing plays. Give Robert Saleh and San Francisco credit. They found ways to bring out the worst in Penix Jr.
Does Michael Penix Jr. Play On Sunday?
Again, this is one of the biggest questions for fantasy football owners. The Miami Dolphins have been a waking nightmare on defense (29th in poitns allowed, 26th in yards). Teams average 5.2 yards per run which would allow Penix Jr. to throw in more ideal situations.
During the week, Penix Jr. will be heavily monitored. For Raheem Morris to admit, there will again definitely be limitations is troubling. However, we saw Emeka Egbuka play despite a considerably noticeable limp seen in warmups on Monday night. If Penix Jr. does go, do we see more throws like this?
More fades to Kyle Pitts, please.
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 20, 2025
Good throw by Michael Penix, Jr. #Falcons pic.twitter.com/h1KYrJirjx
There lies the frustation with Penix Jr. If he plays, his fantasy football impact could be good. After all, Miami cannot generate much of anything defensively. An offense scores on 56.1% of their drives.
Unless there is a setback, the expectation is that Penix Jr. plays on Sunday afternoon against Miami. After all, if this is a typical bone bruise, it will heal enough in the course of a week.
