In stunning NFL news, Kirk Cousins lost his starting job as the Falcons’ starting quarterback. Rookie Michael Penix Jr. will be Atlanta’s starter, at least for the rest of the 2024 season.
Head coach Raheem Morris announced the move about 36 hours after Atlanta won a slog over the Las Vegas Raiders. They barely escaped with a 15-9 win, beating a team that entered the game 2-11. It was their first win since Week 9, breaking a four-game skid. That was not enough for Cousins to keep his job.
Raheem Morris Had Little Choice
Cousins was awful against Las Vegas completing 11 of 17 passes for a putrid 112 yards. He threw one touchdown pass and one interception. The picks are a primary justification for the decision. He leads the league with 16.
Still, had it been one bad game, then Cousins would likely have been given the benefit of the doubt — particularly since their next game is against the woeful Giants — but it is also a perfect time to hand the reins to Penix with margin for error against a horrible team.
Cousins looked reticent and afraid to throw the ball against Las Vegas. The Falcons could not proceed with a quarterback performing so shakily.
What to Make of Michael Penix
Atlanta blindsided everyone — especially Cousins — when they selected Penix eighth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Teams generally do not sign a free agent quarterback to a four-year, $180 million contract with a $50 million bonus, and $100 million guaranteed if they don’t believe in him. Nor do they immediately draft his replacement. But that’s what Atlanta did.
Taking Penix could be viewed as a “best available player” philosophy in the draft. Or it could have been a tacit plan of succession knowing that Cousins, at 36 and returning from a ruptured Achilles, needed a quality understudy.
Put aside money and perception amid the unsaid admission that the Falcons made a huge financial blunder 14 games into Cousins’ contract, and this becomes an obvious move.
Penix had his share of injuries in college. He tore his ACL twice, suffered a fractured clavicle, and a separated shoulder. In 2022 at the University of Washington, he finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting after leading the nation in yards passing with 4,641 and 31 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He was even better in 2023 finishing second in the Heisman, throwing for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns.
He’s lefty. That might take some adjustment for the receivers to get used to the spin.
The Falcons’ Playoff Chances Are Real
Even though Atlanta is at .500 and has fallen a game behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South, they hold the tiebreaker over the Buccaneers based on their two head-to-head wins earlier this season. The Falcons’ schedule is slightly tougher as they need to play the Commanders in Week 17, but if Tampa slips up, they could still take the division. Barring injury, it will be with Penix under center, not Cousins.
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