Michael Penix Jr. injury: Falcons QB hurts ribs late in regulation on 'SNF,' says he'll be ready for Week 6

Penix initially only left the game for one play but then couldn't play in overtime

Oct 12, 2026 at 12:47 am ET • 2 min read

The latest injury in Michael Penix Jr.'s snakebitten career was particularly cruel not only for him but for his team, too. Penix took a hard hit to his ribs late in regulation, knocking him out for overtime of the Falcons' eventual 30-23 loss to the Ravens on "Sunday Night Football."

Here's the hit from Tavius Robinson that caused Penix's injury:

Initially, Penix missed just one play -- the one immediately following the hit -- when Tua Tagovailoa entered the game and found Bijan Robinson for a 14-yard gain on second and 20. Penix returned and threw a ball away under pressure, and the Falcons punted to end regulation.

The Ravens took the ball to start overtime and produced a touchdown drive that lasted over seven minutes. Cameras panned multiple times to the sideline, where Atlanta's medical staff was working on/examining Penix's right ribs. When Atlanta came out on offense, Tagovailoa entered while Penix had a towel over his head, distraught as he could only watch from the sideline. After the game, Penix said he was emotional because he wants to finish games and is frustrated by how many times he hasn't been able to do so.

"I did take some throws on the sideline just to see how I felt, and I did not feel like I was gonna be able to give our team what we needed to help us win that football game because of the pain that I was feeling, so that's all that happened," Penix said. "I was trying to get out there. [I] feel like if we had the ball first in overtime, I probably would have been out there, but as we were sitting, what I was going through, it just started getting worse and worse as we were just sitting there. I was getting cold."

Tagovailoa found Drake London for 20 yards on Atlanta's first offensive play of overtime, but got picked off by Kyle Hamilton on the next snap.

Though Kevin Stefanski said the team will need to conduct more imaging and testing before establishing a timeline for Penix's return, Penix speaking to the media is a good sign.

"Knowing me, I'mma be ready to go next week because I've sat out enough my career," Penix said. "... I will work my tail off to make sure I'm back out there on that field."

Michael Penix Jr. injury history

Season/Team	Injury
2018/Indiana Hoosiers	Right torn ACL
2019/Indiana Hoosiers	Fractured collarbone
2020/Indiana Hoosiers	Right torn ACL
2021/Washington Huskies	Left A/C joint separation
2025/Atlanta Falcons	Left knee bone bruise, partially torn ACL

Penix, who missed the first two games of the season, had been a huge reason Atlanta turned its season around from 0-2 to 2-2 and is still afloat now at 2-3. The Falcons have now had four different quarterbacks play this season already: Penix, Tagovailoa, Cooper Rush (who started the first two games) and Jack Strand (who relieved a struggling Rush in a 34-3 loss in Week 2).

Penix's ability to push the ball downfield helped free up the running game and make the passing game, mainly through London, come to life. The Falcons would very much like Penix's self-diagnosed availability for Week 6 to be accurate, given how much the team has struggled without him.

Falcons by QB this season	Penix	Anyone else
Yards per play	6.8	4.4
Yards per attempt	9.3	5.6
TD-Int	3-1	1-6
PPG	34.3	8