The Atlanta Falcons were defeated on Sunday Night Football at home with an opportunity against a backup quarterback, falling 30-23 to the Baltimore Ravens in overtime after surrendering a late lead. 

It was a loss that will take fans a long time to get over after the chances were there to win and catching Baltimore on a week where Lamar Jackson was out, but Tyler Huntley did an excellent job of managing the game and going to win it when it was needed. The big story coming out is of course going to be the way it ended with Michael Penix Jr. being knocked out and Tua Tagovailoa throwing an interception to lose.

While it seems like Penix is probably going to be okay with the issue being to the ribs, it's a tough way to lose a game where every opportunity was there to win it.

Surrendering a late lead to a backup quarterback and still having an opportunity to go down and tie or win the game always stings, and this for Atlanta was about as bad as it gets in terms of feeling like you should have won. In the NFC South, the good news is that the New Orleans Saints took a loss and with the Carolina Panthers off, they did not lose any ground in the divisional race.

With that being said, seeing how poorly the team has been this year without Penix on the field makes it simply devastating for hopes if he was to miss a game or two. The division is very much there for the taking, but the Falcons absolutely need Penix on the field. If he were to miss any time, the schedule does not get any easier from here for Atlanta.

Atlanta will once again have a home game this week, facing off against the Chicago Bears and potentially another backup quarterback, however it does seem like Caleb Williams has a strong chance at returning this week.

With the San Francisco 49ers -- who may be the best team in football -- coming to town the following week, the Falcons do not get any sort of break in the schedule. Penix needs to be on the field, and he needs to be performing at the highest level.

Fans will eagerly await an update on their quarterback, but if he does miss time, it's safe to say the Falcons could be in some major trouble.