The Atlanta Falcons' season continued to spiral out of control on Sunday, as Raheem Morris' squad suffered another late collapse in a 30-27 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers.
During the game, second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. went down with a knee injury and was replaced by Kirk Cousins. The injury turned out to be related to the knee injury that forced Penix to miss one game earlier in the season, and this time it could be the end of his 2025 campaign according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
“Falcons QB Michael Penix suffered a potentially season-ending knee injury during Sunday’s loss to the Panthers,” Schefter reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Penix will be seeking a second opinion, but it is not encouraging.”
Penix suffered a bone bruise in his left knee during a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 and missed a loss to the Dolphins the next week. Now, it appears that he has re-aggravated that injury and also has partial damage to his ACL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Penix had two All surgeries during his time in college, so another knee surgery would be a major setback for a promising player in his second season.
After Sunday's loss, the Falcons are out of the playoff picture in the NFC at 3-7 whether Penix is able to make it back on the field or not. Atlanta also down not have its first-round pick after trading it to the Los Angeles Rams during the NFL Draft last spring, so things are looking sour in Atlanta.
Penix has completed just a shade over 60% of his passes in nine games this season with 1,982 yards and nine touchdowns and three interceptions. He will come into year three of his career with potentially a new coach and likely no new blue-chip talent with the lack of draft capital.
The Falcons also lost wide receiver Drake London to an injury on Sunday, though a timetable for his return has yet to be announced. All in all, things continue to go from bad to worse in Atlanta in 2025, and Penix's injury is the cherry on top.
