Kirk Cousins Reportedly to Be Falcons' QB1 vs. Dolphins Amid Michael Penix Jr. Injury

A knee injury to Michael Penix Jr. has Kirk Cousins on track to make his first start of the 2025 season for the Atlanta Falcons.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Cousins is officially starting Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins with Penix suffering from a bone bruise in his knee. The news comes after he initially reported Cousins was expected to start.

Penix's status seems to have changed throughout the week. He is officially listed as questionable after being limited in each of the team's three practices from Wednesday through Friday.

Despite the injury, Penix sounded confident that he would be able to go in Week 8 during his press conference on Thursday.

"Yes," Penix said when asked if he expected to play. "That's the plan."

Head coach Raheem Morris told reporters on Friday that Cousins was getting "a significant amount" of first-team reps in practice after Penix "took a lot" earlier in the week.

Penix suffered a bone bruise during the Falcons' 20-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 19. He played the entire game, finishing 21-of-38 for 241 yards and one touchdown.

If Cousins does play on Sunday, it will mark his first start since Week 15 against the Las Vegas Raiders last season. He was replaced by Penix following that game after throwing one touchdown and nine interceptions from Weeks 10-15.

Cousins' lone appearance this season came in the fourth quarter of Atlanta's 30-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. He finished 5-of-7 for 29 yards in garbage time.

The Falcons' 3-3 record this season is indicative of how frustratingly inconsistent they have been. Their high-end outcome has been very good, highlighted by a 24-14 win over the Buffalo Bills in which they put up 443 yards of offense.

Sunday does present a good opportunity for the Falcons to get back in the win column. They are hosting a Dolphins team that is off to a 1-6 start, including a 31-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 7.