Former Washington Huskies Quarterback Suffers Injury in Sunday Night Football Game

One of the greatest quarterbacks in Washington Huskies football history has had something of a redemption story for the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL.

Entering Sunday, former Huskies signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. had led the Falcons to two consecutive wins and had looked like the quarterback many thought Atlanta was getting when it selected him eighth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft despite already having Kirk Cousins locked down to a long-term contract.

Penix's solid two-week stretch came after a year of setbacks, which included him ending 2025 injured and losing the starting job with the Falcons to Tua Tagovailoa in the offseason.

Penix was unable to lead Atlanta to a third-straight win in a game against the Baltimore Ravens. He left the game due to a rib injury he suffered in the final seconds of regulation and was replaced with Tagovailoa. Penix and the Falcons are still awaiting imaging due to the severity of the injury.

Baltimore scored on its overtime possession, leaving Atlanta needing a touchdown and an extra point to continue the game.

Penix finished the game 19-for-32 for 240 yards and a touchdown before his exit from the game.

Tagovailoa entered the game in place of the former Husky in overtime. He finished 2-for-3 for 34 yards and threw the game-ending interception.

Penix has been plagued with injuries throughout his collegiate and professional career. Before transferring to UW for his final two years of college ball, he was limited to 20 games in four years with the Indiana Hoosiers due to injuries that were comprised of two right ACL tears, an AC joint separation and a fractured collarbone. Since being drafted by the Falcons, he's suffered a left knee bone bruise and a partially torn left ACL.

The southpaw signal-caller was able to turn his career around in his two seasons in the Pacific Northwest. He threw for 9,544 yards, 67 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in 28 games while rushing for seven more touchdowns.

Penix was named the Associated Press Comeback Player of The Year in 2022 and was a first-team All-American and led the NCAA in passing yards in 2023. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 both seasons with Washington. He helped lead the Huskies to the College Football Playoff national championship in 2024, before ultimately falling to the Michigan Wolverines.

In his NFL career, Penix has 60.9% of his passes for 3,476 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions across 17 games (15 starts).