Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. left the Falcons’ 30-27 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers early on Sunday afternoon after he took an awkward hit in the backfield.

Penix tried to find David Sills on a third down late in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but took a hit in the backfield right as he got rid of the ball. His left knee bent awkwardly beneath him as he went down, and Penix reached for it immediately as he flipped over.

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Penix tried to get up and walk off the field after the hit, but he struggled and quickly dropped down to the ground. He launched his helmet off and threw it out of apparent frustration, too, as the team’s medical staff came out to help him. He eventually walked off the field on his own, but limped significantly as he did so. He walked straight to the blue medical tent.

The team initially said he was questionable to return with a knee injury. Backup Kirk Cousins ended up replacing him on the next drive, and closed out the game. Penix sat on the bench with a towel draped over his head.

According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, there is concern that Penix aggravated a bone bruise in his left knee that he injured earlier this season. He is set to undergo more tests in the near future. It’s unclear if he’ll miss any time.

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Penix went 13-of-16 passing for 175 yards before he went down. He entered Sunday’s game with 1,807 passing yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions this season, his second in the league and first as a full-time starter after he took over for Cousins late last season. The Falcons selected Penix with the No. 8 overall pick in last year’s draft out of Washington, shortly after signing Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal.

The Falcons held a 21-16 lead when Penix left the game, thanks to a pair of rushing touchdowns from Bijan Robinson and a third from Tyler Allgeier. Their offense slowed down significantly in the second half, which allowed the Panthers to slowly claw their way back in it. Then finally, just inside the two-minute warning, Rico Dowdle nearly broke open a big 38-yard touchdown catch — but he was ruled to have barely stepped out on the sideline. That still got the Panthers inside the red zone and set up a 12-yard pass from Bryce Young to rookie Tetairoa McMillan. Carolina converted the 2-point conversion, which gave them a three-point lead.

Cousins quickly led the Falcons down into Carolina territory, and Zane Gonzalez sent the game into overtime with a 45-yard field goal that barely snuck in.

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The Panthers got a quick stop in the extra period, and Young found Tommy Tremble for a 54-yard gain almost immediately on Carolina’s first drive in overtime. That set up Ryan Fitzgerald’s 28-yard game-winning field goal, which pushed the Panthers to 6-5 on the year.

Young, who left briefly with an ankle injury in the first half, finished with a career-high 448 passing yards and three touchdowns in the win for Carolina. Dowdle had 45 rushing yards on 19 carries, and McMillan had 130 yards and two scores on eight catches.

Cousins went 6-of-14 for 48 yards in the second half. Robinson finished with 104 yards and two scores on 23 carries, and Drake London had 119 yards on seven catches.

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The Falcons have lost five straight. They now sit at 3-7 and will take on the New Orleans Saints next weekend.