Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. left Sunday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens with a rib injury, but it is not considered serious, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday. Penix might be able to return for this Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears. The team, however, wants to be cautious and see him practice this week before making a decision.
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski did not provide a health update on Penix during his news conference Monday. He said he did not want to go into details about the results of Penix's imaging and X-rays, but should have more information by Wednesday.
Penix was sacked by Tavius Robinson late in the fourth quarter of a tie game. He stayed down on the grass for a bit before coming off with a trainer. Tua Tagovailoa then came in for a single snap before Penix reentered for the final play of the drive. When the game went into overtime, Penix did not return. He said that if the Falcons got the ball first, he might have come back, but the pain worsened as he sat cold on the bench. The Ravens won 30-23. Tagovailoa threw a game-ending interception with 2:11 left in overtime.
Penix had just returned from ACL surgery in Week 3 and helped turn around what had been the worst offense in the NFL. Atlanta scored a combined 16 points in the first two weeks with third-stringer Cooper Rush starting. With Penix at quarterback, the Falcons scored a league-high 80 points combined in his first two weeks on the field. Against the Ravens, Penix was 19-of-32 passing for 240 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions before leaving the game.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing