Falcons’ Penix hurts knee, exits against Panthers

• Marc RaimondiNov 16, 2025, 03:44 PM ET

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  Marc Raimondi’s first year covering the Falcons was 2024, but it wasn’t his first year at ESPN. He joined the company in 2019 and was a top combat sports reporter. He also covered professional wrestling and wrote the book “Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling’s New World Order Changed America,” which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi also worked for the New York Post and Newsday, beginning in 2009, covering high school and college sports, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.

ATLANTA — Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. injured his right knee and was removed in the third quarter of Sunday’s 30-27 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers, and star receiver Drake London later left with a knee injury.

Penix was hit on a third-down pass, which fell incomplete with 5:22 left in the quarter. He attempted to get back up but fell to the grass again and took off his helmet.

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Penix was replaced by veteran Kirk Cousins in the subsequent Falcons offensive series. The second-year quarterback was 13-of-16 passing for 175 yards before leaving. Cousins finished 6-of-14 passing for 48 yards.

Penix suffered a bone bruise in his left knee against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 and missed Atlanta’s next game against the Miami Dolphins. Cousins started in that game, a 34-10 loss.

London, meanwhile, was ruled during overtime with the knee injury. He had seven catches for 119 yards before exiting.