FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris said he is optimistic about quarterback Michael Penix Jr. returning after missing last week's game because of a bone bruise in his left knee.
Morris said Penix and receiver Drake London, who also sat out the loss to the Miami Dolphins because of a hip injury, are both classified as day-to-day going into Sunday's game against the New England Patriots.
Penix told reporters that he felt good at Wednesday's practice and that he's "trending in the right direction" to play against the Patriots.
"Michael is in the building, obviously in meetings. ... We'll get a chance to get a feel for what he can do in practice, if he can do anything," Morris said. "He feels better than he did last week. ... So, I feel really good about him."
Morris also said last week that he felt good about Penix playing against the Dolphins -- and Penix himself said last Wednesday that he planned to play -- but, by Friday, things had changed and the Falcons held Penix and London out vs. Miami.
Backup quarterback Kirk Cousins filled in for Penix and went 21-of-31 for 173 yards in a game in which the offense struggled and finished with 213 total yards.
Penix said Wednesday that he wasn't feeling his best late last week and didn't think playing would have been right for the team.
"I don't feel like me being out there would have helped the team," Penix said. ... "I didn't feel like I could do what I needed to do to help my team win."
London leads the team with 469 receiving yards.
"Drake is in the building, feels good, planning on practicing," Morris said. "Get a chance to look at him moving around a little bit today."
ESPN's Marc Raimondi and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
