Michael Penix Jr.’s latest stretch with the Atlanta Falcons came to an abrupt halt Sunday night, with the former Washington Huskies quarterback exiting the game against the Indianapolis Colts after suffering a rib injury.
Penix had given Atlanta a real spark over the previous two weeks, helping the Falcons stack back-to-back wins and looking much closer to the quarterback they believed they were getting when they made him the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That surge came after a rough run that saw him finish 2025 injured and lose the Falcons’ starting job to Tua Tagovailoa in the offseason.
Against the Colts, though, Penix couldn’t finish the job. He was hurt in the final seconds of regulation and left the game before overtime, with Atlanta still waiting on imaging to determine the severity of the rib issue. Before coming out, he went 19-for-32 for 240 yards and a touchdown.
Tagovailoa took over in overtime and went 2-for-3 for 34 yards, but his night ended with a game-ending interception.
The injury is the latest setback in a career that has been defined, at least in part, by absences. Before he transferred to Washington for his final two college seasons, Penix was limited to 20 games in four years at Indiana because of two right ACL tears, an AC joint separation and a fractured collarbone. Since Atlanta drafted him, he has also dealt with a left knee bone bruise and a partially torn left ACL.
Even with all of that, Penix put together a strong run in Seattle. Over two seasons with the Huskies, the left-handed quarterback threw for 9,544 yards, 67 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in 28 games, and added seven rushing scores.
Across his NFL career, Penix has completed 60.9% of his passes for 3,476 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 17 games, 15 of them starts.