The Atlanta Falcons used their first-round pick back in April on a quarterback, but they are not ready to hand the keys over to him despite their veteran quarterback’s current struggles.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris showed his confidence in Kirk Cousins, who had a four-interception game in the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday that moved the Falcons to 6-6 on the season.
It’s the team’s third consecutive loss, but luckily, the NFC South is still one of the weaker in the NFL as the Falcons are tied for first place with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) passes against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Dale Zanine-Imagn Images)
So, with a playoff spot in mind and only five games remaining in the regular season, there has been debate about whether the Falcons should make a quarterback change.
Morris put out that fire before it could get too wild.
“I don’t think that’s going to be the issue around here,” Morris said in response to a question about Cousins getting benched, via the New York Post. “That guy’s carried us. That guy’s got us to the point where we’re 6–6, first place in the division. Still got everything in front of us, despite what happened today. It’s up to us to bounce back and find a way to win football games, and there’s no better man than 18 to do that for us.”
So, Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons’ first-round pick that shocked the football world months ago, will continue sitting behind Cousins as his backup.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) throws a pass against the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
But Cousins knows that he’s not playing up to his standards of late, throwing an interception in each of the previous two games before this clunker of a performance on Sunday. Cousins has also not thrown a touchdown in each of the last three games.
“We won’t make any excuses for them that happened today,” Morris said. “That guy has carried us all season, he’s done such a marvelous job. It’s hard to throw that guy under the bus.”
The Falcons’ pick of Penix at No. 8 overall, who starred for the Washington Huskies, shocked many due to Cousins signing a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed.
He has seen some time on the regular-season field in blowout losses, completing three of his five passes for 38 yards.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
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But Penix will continue learning from Cousins, who will look to right the ship this upcoming week in the dubbed “revenge game” against his Minnesota Vikings, as he makes his return to the team he spent the last six seasons with.
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