Falcons Quarterback Michael Penix Jr suffers rib injury, exits game after hard hit; Tua Tagovailoa replaces him but team loses to Ravens in overtime

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr, on Sunday October 11, sustained a rib injury mid game. Penix was injured during a game against the Baltimore Ravens. This came after he was sacked by Ravens linebacker Tavius Robinsion, in the fourth quarter of the game.

Penix went down while attempting a pass as the game was tied 23-23. He was hit hard on the strip sack and was slow in getting up after the play. The injury came with just 27 seconds left in the play.

The Falcons quarterback received medical attention on the field but eventually got up and jogged off under his own power. He later returned after missing one play, but threw an incomplete pass on third down. Penix continued to receive treatment on the sideline after the play. Penix had been hopeful to join the team again in overtime, but said his pain was getting worse as his body cooled down.


He later sat on the bench with a towel draped over his head for the rest of the match. Penix completed 19-of-32 passes for 240 yards with a touchdown before exiting the game.

Veteran Tua Tagovailoa replaced Penix

The Falcons replaced the 26-year-old quarterback with Tua Tagovailoa following his injury. Tagovailoa took the field with the Falcons’ starters. His appearance however was short lived, as he tossed an interception to Kyle Hamilton on the second play, sealing the loss.

“Knowing me, I’m going to ready to go next week,” Penix after injury

After his rib injury, Penix said, “Knowing me, I’m going to be ready to go next week because I sat out enough in my career”. “I’m going to do everything I can in the training room, make sure I get back to where I want to be,” he added,

Recalling the incident, he added, “I did take some throws on the sideline to see how I felt, and I did not feel like I was going to be able to give our team what we needed to to be able to help us win that football game because of the pain that I was feeling.”

Penix further said that during the game he tried to get out on the field again. He said that if the Falcons got the ball first in overtime, he would have got out.

“It’s frustrating, you know?” he said. “But I think the biggest thing is just, I want to be out there, especially in a big moment in a game like that.”

Penix missed the first two games of the regular season. He had been recovering from an Achilles tendon surgery in November 2025. During that absence, the Falcons lost twice and the offence did not enter the red zone in either game.

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Falcons head coach Stefanski on Penix’s injury

Updating reporters about Penix’s injury, Stefanski said that they will know more in the coming days after the quarterback undergoes imaging. “He was trying to work to get comfortable and could not,” Stenfanski said.

Talking about Penix’s game, Stefanski said, "I thought, versus a tough defensive front, tough coverage, I thought he made some plays." He further added, "Like every quarterback, you're not going to make every play. But there's things that he can certainly improve upon. But I thought he battled."

The Falcons will now play the Chicago Bears at home in Week 6.