Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. and top WR Drake London to miss game against Dolphins due to injuries

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ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will miss Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins after being listed as questionable with a bone bruise on his left knee.

Kirk Cousins, who lost the starting job to Penix for the final three games of last season, will make his first start in more than 10 months.

Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is available after being adding to the injury list with an illness early Sunday. Tagovailoa had no game-status designation.

The Falcons' top wide receiver, Drake London, is inactive after he was added to the injury report on Saturday with a hip injury.

Though Penix said Wednesday he expected to play and coach Raheem Morris also expressed confidence in the second-year quarterback’s ability to play through the injury, the move to place Penix on the inactive list was not a surprise. The Falcons elevated quarterback Easton Stick to the active roster from the practice squad on Saturday, providing an early indication the team believed it was necessary to add depth behind Cousins.

Morris said Wednesday that the team would protect Penix and “not put him in harm’s way” if he failed to show in practice he had the necessary mobility to elude pass rushers and play the position.

This is the first game Penix has missed after making nine starts, including a 3-3 record entering Sunday’s game.

Cousins’ only appearance in the first six games this season came in a 30-0 loss at Carolina on Sept. 21, when he completed 5 of 7 passes for 29 yards.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl