Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. suffered a bone bruise in his lower leg Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers, and coach Raheem Morris said Monday he is day-to-day.
Penix got hit late in the fourth quarter of the team's 20-10 loss and came up limping. He stayed in the game but was clearly affected.
Penix, the second-year quarterback, was 21-of-38 for 241 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers. But he struggled when he was pressured. San Francisco pressured Penix on a season-high 34% of his dropbacks. While under duress, Penix was just 1-of-10 for 9 yards with two sacks.
This has been Penix's first season starting from Week 1. He was Kirk Cousins' backup last season until Cousins was benched following a stretch of five games with nine interceptions in Week 16. The Falcons are 3-3 this season.
Penix has completed 61% of his passes for 1,408 yards with five touchdown passes and three interceptions this season. His 48.3 QBR is the 22nd best in the NFL.
The Falcons are likely to be losing linebacker Divine Deablo for a longer stretch of time. Deablo fractured his left forearm in the first half of the 49ers game, per Morris, and he is now considered week-to-week. The coach said he believes Deablo will miss some time, though the hope is the Falcons will get him back this season.
Deablo, a free agent signing from the Las Vegas Raiders, has been a key cog of one of the league's best defenses, especially against the run. The Falcons have allowed the second-fewest yards per game in the NFL (265.2). Without Deablo on the field, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey ran for 129 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns.
