Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will have season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn ACL, the team announced on Wednesday morning. Penix injured his knee in the third quarter of the team’s Week 11 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

“After further medical evaluation, it has been determined Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will undergo season-ending surgery for a partially torn ACL,” the team wrote in a statement.

The Falcons initially placed their second-year quarterback on the injured reserve list, but after getting a second opinion on his knee, they have ruled him out for the rest of the season. Penix ends the year with 1,982 passing yards, nine touchdowns, three interceptions and one rushing touchdown.

With Penix out for the final seven games, it will be up to Kirk Cousins to try and pick up the pieces of this 3-7 Falcons team. Thus far, Cousins has been underwhelming, completing 32 of 52 passes for 250 yards and a passer rating of 73.4.

The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract last offseason, then drafted Penix in the first round of the 2024 draft one month later. Cousins got off to a solid start but collapsed over the second half of the season. The 37-year-old finished with 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns and a career-high 16 interceptions in 14 starts.

After leading the team to a 6-3 record, Cousins went ice cold over his next five starts, passing for one touchdown and nine interceptions. The team went on a four-game losing streak and missed the playoffs. Cousins will now attempt to end Atlanta’s current four-game losing streak against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix to have season-ending surgery