Falcons' Michael Penix: Needs procedure to repair ACL

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The Falcons confirmed Wednesday that Penix sustained a partially torn ACL in his left knee during the team's Week 11 loss to Carolina, and he will require full reconstructive surgery to address the injury, Terrin Waack of the team's official site reports. Atlanta officially placed Penix him on injured reserve.

Penix will face, at a minimum, a nine-month recovery upon going under the knife. As a result, Penix is unlikely to be a full participant in the Falcons' offseason program, and his status for Week 1 of the 2026 campaign could also be in jeopardy. In addition to damaging his ACL, Penix also aggravated the pre-existing bone bruise in the knee. Even before going down with the injury Sunday, the 2024 first-round pick already had a checkered medical history, as he required surgeries to repair the ACL in his right knee in 2018 and 2020, and he also had college seasons end early in 2019 and 2021 due to shoulder injuries. Kirk Cousins will lead Atlanta under center for the remainder of the 2025 season, and the team will likely enter the offseason with additional incentive to secure a capable backup option behind Penix. The 25-year-old will finish his second professional campaign having completed 166 of 276 pass attempts (60.1 percent) for 1,982 yards (7.2 YPA), nine touchdowns and three interceptions to go with 70 yards and another score on 21 carries over his nine starts.