With confident Penix at QB, Falcons will look to continue turnaround against Ravens

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons will be looking to build upon their dramatic turnaround since Michael Penix Jr. took over at quarterback when they play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.

After scoring a combined 16 points while opening the season with two losses, the Falcons (2-2) have scored a combined 80 points with Penix back as the starter.

Bijan Robinson remains the star of the offense as one of the NFL's leading rushers. Penix has completed 73.3% of his passes in his return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that ended his 2025 season. Penix's accuracy has been impressive and he has thrown only one interception while passing for two touchdowns.

The efficient play from Penix has seemed to boost the production from Robinson, who ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-24 win at New Orleans on Monday night. Brian Robinson Jr. ran for three touchdowns.

“We’re doing whatever it takes to win football games,” Penix said. “And I feel like each and every week we come in with a great run plan.”

Penix has played with confidence after being held out in the preseason while completing his comeback.

“I wouldn’t say I’m surprised,” Penix said. “I put the work in, and I’m going to continue to put the work in. I feel like I have a long way to go. I feel like I could be so much better.”

The Ravens (3-1) are facing a change at quarterback after two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, who injured his left ankle in a win over Tennessee, was ruled out on Friday. Tyler Huntley is expected to start against Atlanta.

The Ravens also ruled out edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who will miss his second straight game because of a finger injury. Mike Green will start again in his place.

Tight end Mark Andrews said Huntley “is a commander” if needed to start.

“He goes in the huddle, and everybody is able to really just follow him, and I think that’s a really great quality,” Andrews said. “He’s a gamer. He’s a guy that goes in there and is going to be electric, and I cannot say enough about ‘Snoop.’ He’s been in these types of situations so often, and he’s always come through.”

Baltimore (3-1) at Atlanta (2-2)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EDT, NBC

Latest odds: Falcons by 3 1/2

Against the spread: Falcons 2-2; Ravens 1-3

Last week: Falcons won at New Orleans 45-24 on Monday night; Ravens beat the Tennessee Titans 24-18.

Last meeting: Ravens beat Falcons 17-9 on Dec. 24, 2022, in Baltimore.

Series record: Ravens lead 5-2.

Derrick Henry vs. Falcons run defense: The Falcons lead the NFL in run defense, allowing only 48.3 yards per game on the ground. Henry ranks fourth in the league with 374 rushing yards and already has rushed for seven touchdowns, which is tied with Josh Allen for the NFL lead. The Ravens rank fourth in rushing with 153.5 yards per game. Henry ran for 73 yards and a touchdown in the win over Tennessee, his former team. He opened the season by running for 144 yards and three scores in a 41-23 win at Indianapolis. Henry’s production will be especially important with Jackson ruled out.

— The Ravens are 2-0 on the road.

— Baltimore is looking for its first 4-1 start since 2021.

— The Ravens’ 5-2 record against the Falcons includes a 2-2 mark in Atlanta.

— Baltimore’s 20-7 road record since 2023 is the best in the league.

— The Ravens also rank first in turnover differential — plus-21 — and a plus-214 points differential in road games since 2023.

— Ravens ILB Roquan Smith is the only player in the league to have at least 30 tackles, one interception, one sack and one forced fumble this season.

— Ravens DL Calais Campbell has played in 282 games, which is tied with Jim Marshall for the most by a defensive lineman in league history. Campbell can earn sole possession of the record by playing against Atlanta.

— The Falcons are playing their third straight primetime game, following a Thursday night 35-14 win at Green Bay and Monday night’s win over the Saints.

— Since 2024, the Falcons are 3-1 in home primetime games.

— Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews has started 199 consecutive games, a franchise record and the longest active streak in the NFL. He left Monday night's game with a groin injury but returned to practice on Thursday.

— Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. have each rushed for four touchdowns.

— Bijan Robinson ranks second in the league with 614 scrimmage yards, trailing only Kansas City’s Kenneth Walker III (621).

— Robinson also ranks second with 494 rushing yards, behind Walker’s 537.

— In games in which he has attempted at least 16 passes, Penix has completed at least 70% of his attempts four times, including each of the past two weeks.

— Atlanta’s defense leads the NFL with 79 quarterback pressures and rank second with 35 quarterback hits. The Falcons have only seven sacks.

— The Falcons are tied for 27th in the league with a minus-5 turnover ratio. Cooper Rush, who opened the season as the starting quarterback, threw four interceptions in the first two games.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) is tackled by Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Winston Jr. (23) during the second half of an NFL football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) celebrates after scoring against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ella Hall)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) looks to throw a pass during the first half of an NFL football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (5) looks to throw a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Baltimore, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) passes against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

PANAMA CITY (AP) — A second powerful 6.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Panama following a series of aftershocks, USGS says.

THIS IS AN APNewsAlert. Check back for updates. AP's earlier story is below.

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook Panama on Friday morning, collapsing buildings near its epicenter and prompting evacuations across the country.

The quake, which was felt as far away as neighboring Colombia, was centered about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, in the central province of Herrera, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).

The USGS initially reported the quake as magnitude 8, then revised it to 7.6 and later to 7.7.

Visibly shaken residents of Panama City gathered outside as they waited for news of the quake’s impact on Friday.

“We felt it very strongly. It knocked things over in the kitchen, but we’re okay, though we’re very scared," Rosendo Domínguez, 60, who is from Herrera province, where the earthquake struck, told The Associated Press by phone. “Everyone is outside, scared.”

Multiple aftershocks continued to rattle Panama, including several measuring magnitude 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2. Seismologists at the University of Panama recorded more than 45 aftershocks, though many were too weak to be felt.

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino called for calm on Friday, writing on X: “What happened should not be used to cause alarm or disorder.”

Omar Smith of the National Civil Protection Service said on the Telemetro Reporta news channel that damage was concentrated in the central provinces of Veraguas, Herrera and Los Santos. He said there were no reports of damage in the capital, which is known for its hundreds of skyscrapers.

Smith said several injuries have been reported, including one person struck by debris from a partially collapsed structure in the city of Penonomé, around 93 miles (150 km) from the capital. He confirmed a partial collapse and cracks at the cathedral in the district’s main square, as well as damage in the governor’s office building and the Dos Continentes hotel. No casualties were immediately reported.

Local news outlets also reported that the Church of San Atanasio, a colonial-style Catholic church in Panama’s Los Santos province, had collapsed. The church was declared a National Historic Heritage Site in 1938. Elsewhere, including in Veraguas province, large fissures ran along roadways.

Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, one of the region's busiest airports with more than 20 million travelers in 2025, said it would temporarily suspend operations and activated evacuation plans. It said operations would resume once security conditions have been checked.

The Panama Canal Authority said operations were continuing normally along the key global trade route. It said its priority was the safety of employees, vessels and crews and that specialized technical teams were inspecting facilities for possible damage.

The last major earthquake to cause widespread damage in Panama struck in 1991. A magnitude 7.4 quake, centered in nearby Costa Rica killed 23 people, injured 559, and left thousands of people homeless in the border Bocas de Toro region.

Earthquakes are common, especially along Panama's border with Costa Rica and its Pacific coast, because of the interaction of several tectonic plates, including Cocos, Nazca, and Caribbean plates.

Panama lies along the “Ring of Fire,” a 40,000-kilometer (25,000-mile) arc of volcanoes and fault lines around the Pacific Basin, where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.

The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning Friday for the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. It warned that waves ranging from 3 to 9 feet (1 to 3 meters) above tide may occur in some coastal areas of Panama.

Alerts were also issued in El Salvador and as far as Chile’s Easter Island, about 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) off Chile’s mainland coast. Chile's government placed the island under a precautionary advisory.

Nearby countries sent messages of support Friday afternoon. Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, whose country was recently hit by earthquakes, expressed his solidarity with the Panamanian people and their government during what he called “difficult times.”

“Panama is not alone! You can count on Colombia’s support and our full willingness to provide whatever assistance is needed,” he wrote on X.

The U.S. Embassy in Panama said it was “closely monitoring” the aftermath of the quake and accounting for the welfare of its citizens in Panama, a well-known retirement destination for Americans.

Janetsky reported from Mexico City, and Solís reported from Panama City. Gabriela Molina in Quito, Ecuador, Clara Preve in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Eléonore Hughes in Rio de Janeiro, María Verza in Mexico City and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

People stand outside a building after an earthquake struck Panama City, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Alma Solis)

People gather outside shopping mall after an earthquake hit Panama City, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Aris Mariota)

People gather outside shopping mall after an earthquake hit Panama City, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Aris Mariota)