Falcons' Penix fully cleared to play vs. Bears

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has no injury designation and is fully cleared to play in Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears. Penix suffered a rib injury after being sacked late in the fourth quarter of last week's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He came out of the game before returning for one play. Once the game went into overtime, though, Penix did not return. He has been a full participant in practice all week, and Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said he does not believe Penix will need any extra protection for his ribs or any alterations when it comes to the scheme. The Falcons lost their first two games with third-string quarterback Cooper Rush as the starter, scoring a total of 16 points -- worst in the league. When Penix returned, the Falcons went 2-0, scoring a league-high 80 points in Weeks 3 and 4 combined. Penix played solidly against the Ravens despite the loss, going 19-of-32 passing for 240 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. When he came out of the game, Tua Tagovailoa entered and ended up throwing the game-ending interception. For the season, Penix has completed 67.5% of his passes for 719 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.