Field Gulls
Last year, Michael Penix Jr made his NFL debut in garbage time against the Seattle Seahawks. This year, the former University of Washington star quarterback won’t be facing Seattle as a starter.
Following Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, it was revealed that Penix suffered a knee injury that will most likely end his season. He’d already missed a game due to a bone bruise in his left knee, and not only has he re-aggravated that injury, he’s also damaged his ACL and faces full reconstructive surgery.
Local Atlanta media is reporting a partial ACL tear for Penix, which would be the third time he’s torn his ACL dating back to college. For all of his incredible talent, his extensive injury history was a legitimate concern heading into the draft, and there was undoubtedly interest among some Seahawks fans to have him stay local and be the next franchise quarterback. Instead, the Falcons took Penix at No. 8 overall while also paying Kirk Cousins a massive four-year contract in the same offseason. Cousins will take over for Penix but he has looked not one iota better than last year, which may just about sink an already broken offense. Falcons star receiver Drake London also faces missed time due to a PCL injury, so he may also miss Week 14 at home against Seattle.
It’s a nightmare season for the Falcons, who have almost no realistic path to the playoffs at 3-7 and are 27th in points scored. They finally have a fearsome pass rush but their anticipated offensive leap hasn’t materialized. To make matters worse for Falcons (and, frankly, Seahawks fans), their trade back into this year’s first round to select James Pearce Jr means their 2026 first-round pick belongs to the Los Angeles Rams. It’s very likely the Rams will have a top 10 pick in addition to being among the Super Bowl favorites.
The Seahawks may be lamenting a golden opportunity wasted against the Rams, but their next three games are against teams quarterbacked by Cam Ward, who is third in sack rate at north of 10 percent, J.J. McCarthy, who leads the NFL in interception rate at 5.7%, and Kirk Cousins, who’s pretty much a spent force and can barely move.
