The Atlanta Falcons finally ended their ugly losing skid on Sunday afternoon with a road win over the New Orleans Saints. In that game, Atlanta started quarterback Kirk Cousins, replacing the injured Michael Penix Jr., who had been up and down so far in his first season as a full-time starter.
Penix Jr. was revealed to have suffered a partially torn ACL in a recent home loss against the Carolina Panthers, and he reportedly had surgery on Tuesday to repair the issue.
Now, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is speaking out about his state of mind amid his quarterback's recovery.
“Went well. … Really fired up about that and really fired up about when he comes back,” said Morris, per Terrin Waack of the Falcons on X, formerly Twitter.
Some Falcons fans will be hoping that Morris is no longer the head coach of the team by the time Penix Jr. returns from surgery at some point next year, but that's an issue for a later day.
Penix Jr. had two ACL surgeries during his time in college, and adding a third to that list will certainly not do anything to quell questions about his durability moving forward, as well as the fact that he is seemingly reluctant to scramble in the pocket, which some have speculated could be due to the lingering mental effects of those previous injuries.
Currently, the Falcons sit at 4-7 on the 2025 NFL season, and although they haven't been officially limited yet, this is around the time that most fans would be turning their attention to NFL mock drafts.
Unfortunately, Falcons fans can't find solace in that either since the team doesn't own its 2026 first round pick, thanks to a previous trade with the Los Angeles Rams.
In any case, the Falcons will next take the field on Sunday vs the New York Jets on the road.
