\n<\/p>\n
The Atlanta Falcons fell to 3-7 after a Week 11 divisional loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not where the bad news ends for the Falcons.<\/p>\n
It sounds like the second career season for quarterback Michael Penix Jr. could be cut short due to a potential season-ending knee surgery. According to ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter<\/a>, Penix will seek a second opinion. However, Kirk Cousins is set up to take the reins of the Falcons again.<\/p>\n The Falcons do not have their own first-round pick. They traded it during April\u2019s NFL Draft to the Los Angeles Rams so they could select Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce Jr.<\/p>\n While he\u2019s helped Atlanta flip the script on their defensive woes from last season, the Falcons only have three wins, and they are going to be without their starting quarterback. They are effectively setting the Rams up with an ideal draft pick in 2026.<\/p>\n Penix\u2019s draft selection always felt a bit strange, especially because it came on the heels of giving Cousins a sizable four-year contract in free agency. Both Cousins and Penix arrived in Atlanta in 2024. Penix has only made 12 starts. Cousins has made 15 starts.<\/p>\n It\u2019s far too early to give up on the 25-year-old quarterback, but things have to be getting uncomfortable. Right?<\/p>\n The NFC South is always a crapshoot. While Baker Mayfield started the season as an MVP candidate<\/a> with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he\u2019s cooled off a bit due to injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers are moving out of their rebuild phase. Dave Canales has Bryce Young playing better football and Carolina finds themselves with a winning record heading into Week 12.<\/p>\n When drafting a quarterback with the No. 8 overall selection, you\u2019re typically putting all of your eggs in that basket. That was never the case for the Falcons because of Cousins\u2019 contract and their unwillingness to trade him.<\/p>\n