The Atlanta Falcons stunned the NFL world in the 2024 NFL Draft when they selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with their first-round pick, just weeks after signing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Now that we are into December, it is looking like the decision to select Penix Jr. might have been some good long-term planning, while the decision to sign Cousins was a short-term miss.
Cousins was miserable in Sunday’s game, completing 24-of-39 passes for 245 yards and throwing four interceptions.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris rejected the idea of benching Cousins for Penix Jr. after the game, saying he fully believes that Cousins will bounce back.
He might legitimately believe that. Cousins might also bounce back. But it should not be an idea that is completely dismissed that quickly. Going to Penix Jr. should not only be something that is looked at; it might be something that is in the best interest of the team right now.
It was not just the number of interceptions from Cousins on Sunday that were costly. It was the timing of them as well as the result.
He threw a brutal pick-six to Tarheeb Still in the third quarter that gave the Chargers a 17-10 lead.
Not only was that a bad decision, but the whole thing seemed to be happening in slow motion while the pass had no juice behind it.
That was not even his ugliest interception of the day.
That came just a few minutes later in the fourth quarter when he just lobbed a desperation pass up into traffic in the end zone.
That just can not happen in that situation.
The Falcons brought in Cousins with the intent of competing for the NFC South and making the playoffs this season. They still have a chance to do that, even with a 6-6 record. But Cousins’ play has been incredibly erratic this season and is trending in the wrong direction as we get later into it.
After Sunday’s performance, he has not had a touchdown pass in three consecutive games while also being intercepted six times in those games.
The Falcons have lost all three of them.
Cousins has played 12 games this season and has had a passer rating of under 90.0 in seven of them, including six games where it has been under 80.0. That is simply not winning football.
The Falcons had to know that Cousins was not going to be a true long-term answer when they willingly took a quarterback in the first round. Right now, Cousins is not even playing like he is the short-term answer. Continuing to ignore that could be hurting their chances to win the NFC South.
