After Michael Penix Jr. went down in the third quarter of the Atlanta Falcons' 30-27 overtime loss in Week 11, fans held their breath because they knew it wasn't good. There's been speculation that the injury could be season-ending, which is starting to look like an incredibly grim likelihood in the ATL.
The 25-year-old was already placed on IR after re-aggravating both his bone bruise and knee sprain from earlier this season, but it was also reported that there was damage to his ACL. Given this injury is to his left knee rather than the right knee he's had twice-reconstructed, this is incredibly worrisome.
With the Falcons already sitting at 3-7, there's no reason for the Dirty Birds to risk further injury to their franchise QB by throwing him back into the fire when there's nothing to play for. Unfortunately, this injury very well could mark a disheartening end to an incredibly promising season from Penix.
Michael Penix Jr. placed on injured reserve with knee injury
The move to injured reserve means that the second-year quarterback will miss the Falcons' next four games, meaning he is first eligible to return in Week 16 when they travel to Glendale to face the Arizona Cardinals. But if the losing persists, it would be surprising to see him return at all this season.
Until Penix is able to return (if even), it will be Kirk Cousins in line for at least the next four starts. The 37-year-old operated as Atlanta's starter for the majority of last season, but was replaced by Penix entering Week 16 against the New York Giants.
After signing a four-year, $180 million free-agent contract with the Dirty Birds last offseason, the veteran signal-caller struggled immensely. He threw for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and a career-high 16 interceptions mere months removed from surgery to repair his torn Achilles.
This injury is part of why the Falcons kept Cousins as an insurance policy despite receiving widespread trade interest from him across the league this offseason. It is reassuring to know they have a viable option starting in Penix's place, but it doesn't make the news easier to stomach.