As the Atlanta Falcons continue to spiral, injury was added to insult.
In Atlanta’s fifth straight loss on Sunday, the Falcons squandered a 14-point lead at home to the Carolina Panthers, falling 30-27 in overtime. As if things could get worse, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was placed on injured reserve Monday after exiting with a knee injury in the third quarter, with the expectation that the 25-year-old could miss the rest of the season.
“Obviously it hurts your heart when your quarterback goes down, but you’ve got to recenter, you’ve got to refocus,” Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris told reporters on Monday. “You’ve got to go with the next-man-up mentality. You’ve got really good football players here whether you talk about Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Darnell Mooney, Kyle Pitts. You’ve got all these people that are really healthy that can go out there and lead you.”
If Penix’s second professional season has come to an end, his uneven year will have seen him go 3-6, throwing for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions, while completing just 60.1% of his passes. It would also mark his fifth season-ending injury in eight college and pro years.
Atlanta will transition back to Kirk Cousins under center, as the highest-paid backup quarterback in the NFL will make his second start of the season. The 37-year-old, who signed a contract worth $100 million guaranteed in 2024, threw for just 173 yards in his lone start against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 26. Cousins completed 6 of 14 passes for 48 yards in relief on Sunday.
“It’s fair to say (the offense) will look different,” Morris said. “Obviously Kirk and Mike have different playing styles. What Kirk can do really well, that’s what we’ll try to do.”
Cousins started 14 games for Atlanta last year before being benched for Penix in December.
Leading receiver Drake London was also injured on Sunday, suffering a sprained PCL, which will keep him out for at least Atlanta’s Week 12 road meeting with the New Orleans Saints. Morris labeled London as “week-to-week.”
For a season that had playoff potential after Atlanta beat the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 13, it’s become all but certain that the Falcons will be playing for 2026. Only two teams have made the playoffs after starting 3-7 (2020 Washington, 2022 Jacksonville).
Atlanta has found ways to lose each of its last five games and is one loss away from its longest skid since 2019.
“We keep letting these opportunities slip between our fingers,” Morris said. “We’ve got to go out there and win these football games. The guys can, and they’re capable of doing it. We’ve got enough people, we’ve got enough guys. It’s all hands on deck and we have everything we need, and they know it.”
