Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.’s season is over; he’ll have surgery to repair partially torn ACL
The Falcons announced Wednesday morning that quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will undergo season-ending surgery for a partially torn ACL.
Amid five straight losses, the Falcons (3-7) turn to Kirk Cousins as the starter, with seven games remaining in the season, including Sunday’s matchup at the New Orleans Saints.
The team placed Penix on injured reserve Monday after he hurt his left knee in Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, pending a second opinion. Further examination confirmed the severity of the injury.
“It’s just heartbreaking for him to go out and get hurt,” head coach Raheem Morris said Monday.
Morris said Wednesday morning that the team is set to sign reserve quarterback Easton Stick to the active roster from the practice squad and add former Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask to the practice squad.
Penix started nine games this season, missing the matchup against the Miami Dolphins in Week 7 after sustaining a bone bruise in his knee against the San Francisco 49ers in the previous game.
The attention turns Cousins, who finished entered in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Panthers. Cousins was the starter last season before giving way to Penix, who started the last three games of the season.
It’s another disappointing end to a season for Penix, whose college career was punctuated by season-ending injuries, including ACL issues in his right knee.
With the Falcons in a tailspin losing streak, the team will have to rally around their new signal-caller and find a way to improve without their starting quarterback, along with their top receiver, Drake London, who will miss this week’s game because of a knee injury.
“It hurts your heart when your quarterback goes down,” Morris said. “Anybody on your football team, any of your guys. That’s definitely always one of those things that’s going to be hard for you. You’ve got to recenter. You’ve got to focus. … You’ve got to lean on other people, other places, to be able to find a way to get those things done. You’ve got really good football players here.”
This is a developing story; please check back for updates.
About the Authors
Rod Beard is the Senior Sports Editor for pro sports at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joining the team after 20-plus years at The Detroit News, where he was a beat writer for the Pistons for seven years, after five years covering the Michigan men's basketball team.
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
