The Atlanta Falcons are preparing for a key rivalry game against the New Orleans Saints this week, facing several challenges due to injuries among key players.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will miss the rest of the 2025 season after suffering a partially torn ACL in his left knee that requires surgery. Head coach Raheem Morris stated on Wednesday that Penix has not yet undergone reconstructive surgery, and his recovery is expected to take at least nine months. As a result, Kirk Cousins will step into the starting quarterback role. The team also elevated Easton Stick from the practice squad and signed Kyle Trask to fill Stick’s previous spot.
“Obviously got a good opportunity against the Saints this week,” Cousins said Wednesday. “But wanted to just acknowledge how tough the injury is for Michael. My heart breaks for him. He’s someone who has handled adversity so well through his football journey, and unfortunately, he’s having to do it again. But I’m very confident he has a lot of good football ahead of him. …
“And yeah, we’re just looking forward to getting to go against the Saints and trying to get back on track here and get things going in the right direction.”
The Falcons will also be without their top receiver Drake London, who is out with a PCL sprain and listed as week-to-week. London’s absence leaves a gap in production; he leads all Falcons receivers with 60 catches for 810 yards and six touchdowns—more than all other wide receivers combined this season. Darnell Mooney, Casey Washington, KhaDarel Hodge, David Sills V, and Ray-Ray McCloud III (released in Week 8) have totaled 35 receptions for 447 yards without any touchdowns.
“I’d love to see (Mooney) really be able to take off here in the last stretch of the year,” Cousins said this week.
There was some positive news regarding inside linebacker Divine Deablo, who is returning from injured reserve after fracturing his forearm earlier in the season. The team opened his 21-day window to return to active play, and Morris indicated optimism about Deablo’s availability for Sunday’s game: “Assuming everything goes well,” Morris said, “he should be back playing.”
Injury updates continue with rookie Billy Bowman Jr., who was added to Friday’s report due to an Achilles injury described by Morris as “not good news” for Bowman.
Statistically, rookies Jalon Walker (4 sacks) and James Pearce Jr. (2.5 sacks) have become only the second pair of Falcons rookies since 1982 each with at least 2.5 sacks in one season—the first being Aundray Bruce and Marcus Cotton in 1988.
With a win over New Orleans on Sunday, Atlanta would tie their all-time regular-season series with the Saints at 55-55; no road team has won in this matchup since Week 1 of 2022.
Sunday also marks “My Cause My Cleats” day across the NFL—a league-wide initiative where players wear custom cleats supporting causes important to them. This year Jalon Walker is raising awareness for Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC), inspired by someone close to him.
