After two consecutive games of bad QB play in Atlanta, Michael Penix Jr. had returned from an injury and steered the Falcons to their first victory against the Green Bay Packers. At the time, it looked like all Atlanta needed to get going in the season was a good QB. However, that hope will once again dim as Penix went down with what looks like a troublesome injury against the Baltimore Ravens.

Michael Penix Jr. suffered a rib injury in the fourth quarter. The injury happened with just 27 seconds left in regulation, when Ravens linebacker Tavius Robinson sacked him.

“Why is he taking unnecessary risk?” Justin Simmons said on CBS Sports HQ. “Even if you’re like running and you get a couple yards, and you would try to get like, some of the falls looked awkward. He was getting hit as he was falling.

“Mike, get down. You mean so much to the organization and this team. As you can tell, as Ben said, the two weeks you weren’t playing, as opposed to the two weeks you were playing, it’s a totally different outlook. All the fans out there, especially Atlanta Falcons fans, they want to see you be healthy. Please get down.”

In the offseason, Penix had expressed excitement about coming back to the field this year. It was unclear at the time when that would happen, but the Falcons had an option in Tua Tagovailoa. However, before the opener, Tagovailoa injured his oblique, complicating the Falcons’ odds of success. Atlanta had to bump up third-string QB Cooper Rush to handle QB1 duties.

But in the first two games, Rush posted 229 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. But with Penix Jr. back up and running from the Packers game onwards, Atlanta seemed to have caught a break. In two games, the QB recorded 479 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. More importantly, Penix brought Atlanta two wins.

Against Baltimore too, Penix put up a strong fight. He threw for 240 yards and one score. However, that injury in garbage time probably had many fans’ hearts in their mouths.

To make matters worse, Tua Tagovailoa replaced him in overtime and threw the game-sealing interception on the second play of the Falcons’ drive. That’s what not having Penix in the offense can do to the Falcons.

“I did not feel like I was going to be able to give our team what we needed to be able to win that football game because of the pain that I was feeling,” Penix said postgame. “I tried to get up and move around. I tried to get up and throw, see how I felt. I didn’t feel the way I wanted to feel. It just started to get worse and worse as we were sitting there. I was just getting cold.”

Penix had returned after getting injured for one play, possibly thinking he could still make it. But he left after making an incompletion, and Atlanta punted. In overtime, Penix was on the bench and was attended to by Falcons staff, but he did not leave the medical tent.

Thankfully, Penix believes the injury will not be long-term concern.

“What I am going through right now I know, it’s not something that is going to be a long-term thing,” Penix said, via Falcons insider Tori McElhaney. “But today, it took me out for the last couple of minutes of the game, but I’ll be alright.”

He will undergo imaging on Monday. Despite the loss, head coach Kevin Stefanski praised Penix Jr.

“I thought, versus a tough defensive front, tough coverage, I thought made some plays,” Stefanski said after the game. “Like every quarterback, you’re not going to make every play. But there are things that he can certainly improve upon. But I thought he battled.”

Now, let’s wait and see if Michael Penix Jr. returns for the Week 6 game against the Bears or not.