ATLANTA, GA – The Atlanta Falcons extended their losing streak to five games after blowing a double-digit second half lead and dropping a Week 11 matchup with the Carolina Panthers 30-27. After the loss, the Falcons dropped to 3-7 on the season, but it could get much worse for them in the coming weeks.
Quarteraback Michael Penix Jr. was lost to a lower-body injury at the beginning of the second half and did not return. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Falcons could be without their starting quarterback indefinitely.
The insider said that Penix is “believed to have aggravated the same knee injury as earlier in the season.” The quarterback suffered from a bone in the Falcons’ Week 7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He would then miss their Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
More tests are reportedly coming, Rapoport said, but “there is concern he’ll miss some time.”
Penix appeared to grab that knee after taking the hit from the Panther defender. He was down on his back and threw his helmet out of frustration.
After struggling in the Falcons’ overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts last week, the second-year quarterback had been playing very well in this game. He led the Falcons’ offense to 21 first-half points and a lead at the time he left the game. Penix completed 13-of-16 passes (81.3%) for 175 yards before his injury.
On the season, Penix has completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Raheem Morris was unable to provide any update on his status after the game, but he left the door open for the fact that backup quarterback Kirk Cousins to be the starter in Week 12.
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Backup quarterback Kirk Cousins took over under center for the Falcons for the first time since throwing for 173 yards in the Falcons’ brutal 34-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins. That was his only start of the season.
Sunday was a continuation of some of those struggles. Cousins completed just 6-of-14 passes for 48 yards, but he was hurt by several drops from his pass catchers.
The overall output of the unit was dramatically diminished. They accounted for just 87 yards of offense and scored just six points as the Falcons allowed the Panthers to overtake them in the loss.
The Falcons also lost wide receiver Drake London late in the game to a knee injury. He had seven catches for 119 yards. Morris provided no update for London after the game, either.
