Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. missed his team’s Week 8 matchup, a blowout loss to the Dolphins, due to a bone bruise in his knee. That same issue could now force him to miss more time.
According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Penix is believed to have aggravated the prior injury during Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, which forced him out of the game early. Atlanta fears its QB1 could be sidelined for a stretch.
The Falcons’ selection of Penix in last year’s draft was perhaps the biggest surprise of the event, as the club had just signed Kirk Cousins to a lucrative free agent contract. Cousins’ demotion in favor of Penix during the 2024 campaign triggered plenty of trade/release speculation this offseason, though the trade deadline has passed and Cousins remains on the roster.
The 37-year-old was not particularly impressive in relief of Penix in the above-referenced Miami contest, and while Penix has flashed at times, his overall body of work puts him in the bottom half of the league in terms of both traditional quarterback rating (86.8) and QBR (53.6). The Falcons have now lost four in a row, and Penix started the last three games in that span (although those losses came by a combined 10 points, and the last two defeats were decided in overtime).
Now sitting at 3-7 and in third place in the NFC South, the Falcons will surely be cautious with Penix. Cousins will again step into the starting lineup for however long Penix is out, and if he performs well, he could perhaps convince a team in need of a bridge passer this offseason to swing a trade for him.
Coming into Sunday’s Week 11 game, Penix had completed just 58.8% of his passes, which was the third-worst mark in the league among qualified players. While the Falcons were just inside the top half of the league in terms of total offense, they were a bottom-six outfit in terms of points per game.
Per Tori McElhaney of the team’s official website, top wideout Drake London also exited Sunday’s loss early due to a knee injury of his own. London’s hip ailment forced him to miss the game that Cousins started earlier this year, so it will be bad luck for both London and the veteran passer if the knee injury leads to missed time.
Fortunately, he may be able to avoid that. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, London’s malady is not believed to be overly serious, though an MRI on Monday will reveal more.
