After the Atlanta Falcons lost to the Minnesota Vikings, marking their fourth straight loss, people have been pointing their fingers at star quarterback Kirk Cousins for the struggles. With that, the question people still have is if the Falcons will give time to rookie Michael Penix Jr. and send Cousins to the bench, which was talked about with ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler.
Cousins' stats in the last four games have been ugly as he's thrown for zero touchdowns to go along with eight interceptions, four of them in one game against the Los Angeles Chargers on December 1. However, Graziano would say that Atlanta's plan is still intact, which is to start Cousins for the rest of the season, and that Penix is the “future.”
“I honestly don't think anything has changed since the day Penix was drafted,” Graziano wrote. “The Falcons said then that their plan was to try to win now with Cousins and that Penix was drafted to be the future quarterback. I was with the Falcons last weekend in Minnesota, and my understanding is that the April plan is still in effect.”
“After a fourth straight loss in which Cousins failed to throw a touchdown pass, Falcons coach Raheem Morris was quick to assert that they were not considering benching Cousins for Penix,” Graziano continued. “I think Cousins will start for the rest of this season — or at least until the Falcons are eliminated from playoff contention — and then they'll decide what to do in the offseason. Penix is going to turn 25 in May. He made 45 starts in college, including 28 during his last two seasons at the University of Washington. If he's not ready to start in the NFL right now, he should be very soon.”
Falcons' Kirk Cousins has time to write some wrongs
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) throws a pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Even with the four straight losses, the Falcons' playoff picture is still alive if they can finish the season strong, as Cousins could silence any naysayers. So far this season, Cousins has thrown for 3,396 yards, which is third in the NFL, with 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions as he still has a bevy of offensive talent around him like running back Bijan Robinson, wide receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney, and even tight end Kyle Pitts as Fowler would write.
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“The last time we discussed Cousins' future, I pointed out that his late-season play could be a factor in his future with the team, especially with penchant for teams playing first-round picks sooner than later,” Fowler wrote. “Now, his job status has become a weekly topic in Atlanta news conferences amid his struggles.”
“At some point, the cries for Penix will be too loud to ignore if Cousins continues to throw interceptions — he has eight over the past four games,” Fowler continued. “But I still believe the Falcons can maximize his talent. Cousins is third in the NFL with 3,396 passing yards, and the Falcons have a bevy of offensive talent around him, so Cousins' production should return to the mean eventually. As long as the Falcons are mathematically alive to win the NFC South, Cousins should have a decent chance to finish the season.”
It remains to be seen what Atlanta does with Cousins and Penix as the team is 6-7, which puts them second in the NFC South. They face the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.