The Atlanta Falcons had things go against them at the end of regulation in a couple of ways on Sunday Night Football.
For one, they lost their lead. They gave up a touchdown and a two-point conversion to the Baltimore Ravens to tie it 23-23 and force overtime.
And then Michael Penix Jr. appeared to get injured.
What Happened to Michael Penix Jr?
Michael Penix took a hit from the Ravens and appeared to hurt his midsection.
The most logical explanation was that it was an injury to his ribs, but that wasn’t going to be clear until after the game. The Falcons did announce that it was a rib injury with an announcement late in overtime.
The interesting sequence was what came next.
Penix exited the game for a play as Tua Tagovailoa came in for his Falcons debut and stayed on the field for just one play.
Tua completed a pass to Bijan Robinson, but then Penix trotted back in.
The Falcons couldn’t get close enough to try and win the game in regulation, though, and then the Ravens got the ball first in OT.
While the Ravens had the ball, trainers were working on Penix on the sideline.
Eventually, Penix was shown on the NBC broadcast putting a towel over his head. It looked like he wasn’t going to come back in the football game.
Michael Penix Jr. Injury Trouble
This injury came when Penix was driven to the ground by a pass rusher.
This isn’t the kind of injury that he’s had before.
Penix has a history of knee injuries. He has torn an ACL in a knee three times.
This was different, a hit to the ribs hurting him and leaving him out of the game.
Tagovailoa had to come in and try to match the Ravens touchdown. The lefty had less than three minutes to do it.
The one good news for the Falcons is that they have two lefty QBs, so they don’t have to change much to run the offense with Tagovailoa.
But on his second pass in OT, Tagovailoa threw an interception. That was the game.
What Happened to Michael Penix Jr? Why Falcons QB Is Injured vs. Ravens