The Atlanta Falcons‘ 30-27 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers is just the basis of their issues going forward. Second-year quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., went down midway through the third quarter on his inaugural drive of the half. Penix was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee after a loss to the 49ers in Week 7, and Sunday’s injury is deemed a reaggravation of said injury with damage to the ACL, according to reports.
The Falcons placed Penix on the injured reserve (IR) Monday morning and will be out for the rest of the season as he gets ACL surgery. Unfortunately, Penix is no stranger to season-ending injuries, and more specifically, knee injuries. In 2018 and 2020, Penix tore his right ACL ending each respective season at the University of Indiana. Shoulder injuries in 2019 and 2021 ended his other two seasons for the Hoosiers. Penix’s injury history was mostly put on hold for his final two seasons with Washington but now has flared up again in his sophomore campaign for the Falcons.
This was always a scare for the Falcons when they selected Penix with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, making him one of the more polarizing selections, but his injury asks the question: What’s next for the Atlanta Falcons down the final stretch of the regular season?
Michael Penix Jr. Injury: Things to Expect Going Forward
Kirk Cousins Leading the Offense
As expected, Kirk Cousins will take over as the signal caller for the Falcons. Cousins has seen action this season, getting the start against the Miami Dolphins following Penix’s injury in the 49ers Week 7 loss. In a 34-10 loss to the Dolphins, Cousins went 21-of-31 for 173 yards and didn’t find the end zone. Star wide receiver Drake London missed the Dolphins game as well with a lingering injury leaving Cousins short-handed on the offensive side of the ball. Turnovers highlighted Cousins’ play in the 2024 season leading to his eventual benching. Starting in Week 10, Cousins had nine turnovers in his final five starts for the team to just one touchdown.
It wasn’t all bad last season for Atlanta as Cousins led the team to a 6-3 start inserting himself in Most Valuable Player (MVP) conversations through nine weeks. Seventeen touchdown passes, a 509 yard passing game (single-game Atlanta Falcons record) and multiple four-touchdown games, made the four-year, $180 million deal look like a steal for the Falcons. Kirk Cousins suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder and elbow in the team’s Week 10 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Cousins claims he didn’t disclose the injury to the staff, but we saw him on the injury report in Week 11, leaving room for questions about the transparency of the situation.
If the Falcons want to remain competitive and keep their slim-to-none playoff chances alive, Cousins is going to have to get back to that early magic from the start of the 2024 season.
Darnell Mooney Seeing an Increased Role
Something swept under the rug from last season is how good Darnell Mooney truly was in 2024, specifically, while Kirk Cousins was under center. In 16 games last season, Mooney recorded 992 receiving yards and five touchdown grabs. Mooney saw career highs in yards per reception, touchdowns and yards per target last season and was a shoo-in for his second 1,000-yard season before an injury kept him out of Week 17 against the Panthers.
Penix and Mooney have yet to find the type of connection Cousins and Mooney developed. Some of that can be attributed to an injury; Mooney missed one of Penix’s three starts last season and missed the majority of training camp and Week 1 this season with a broken collarbone, according to reports.
Mooney’s connection with Cousins was key to Atlanta’s early success, giving the team a deep threat alongside Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Look for Cousins to bring that connection back to life as he tries to keep the offense afloat.
A Different Looking Offense
“It’s fair to say [the offense] will look different,” Head Coach Raheem Morris said. “Obviously Kirk and Mike have different playing styles. What Kirk can do really well, that’s what we’ll try to do.”
The follow-up questions would be: What does that offense look like? The best way to answer this is to dive into what Cousins did well last season. Cousins was significantly better against zone coverage last season than man coverage. According to Matt Harmon, Cousins had a 79.0 passer rating, 51.4% completion and an accuracy rating of 6.5 against man coverage. Against zone coverage, we see those numbers rise to a 88.8 passer rating, 68.0% completion and an accuracy rating of 6.7.
At his best, Cousins is dissecting zone coverages with timing and rhythm. Since 2016, Cousins ranks No. 10 in play-action rate with 24% and has a completion percentage of 59.2% which ranks No. 11. Robinson is objectively a premiere running back in the NFL and Tyler Allgeier has a great complimentary skillset. Using the running game to open up the passing game via play-action is something the Falcons must dial in for Cousins to succeed.
If the team plans on playing to Cousins’ strengths, these are things we must see in future contests.
 Main Image:  Brett Davis-Imagn Images
