With the playoff push intensifying entering Week 16, the Atlanta Falcons are making a change at quarterback, with veteran starter Kirk Cousins getting benched for rookie Michael Penix Jr. — the eighth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“After review we have made the decision Michael Penix Jr. will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said in a statement. “This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”
Morris hinted a change could be coming after Monday night’s ugly win in Las Vegas, and later declined to confirm a starter before noting the team would evaluate the position. Morris also noted that he felt Cousins, 36, had lost some confidence during a string of poor games.
“There are ways to get it back. That’s our job,” Morris said of Cousins’ confidence Tuesday. “That’s everybody’s job. We all need support at some point. We have to play better at that position.”
Cousins, who signed a four-year deal with $90 million guaranteed as a free agent last offseason, heads to the bench after just 14 starts. Interestingly, the Falcons (7-7) are making the change with three weeks left in the season and the club one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6) for first place in the NFC South.
Cousins led Atlanta to a 6-3 start and compiled 2,328 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 69.1 percent completion rate before his numbers and play dipped to 1,180 yards, one TD and nine interceptions with a 62.7 rate while the team went 1-4 (Week 12 bye).
In a 15-9 win over the lowly Las Vegas Raiders (2-12) on “Monday Night Football,” Cousins went a pedestrian 11-of-17 for 112 yards, a TD and an interception, giving him his fifth straight game with a pick — a stretch that includes a four-interception outing versus the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13.
With Cousins now ceding his role, it’ll be fascinating to see what Penix, after overcoming a slew of injuries in college, brings to the table. The ex-Washington standout and two-time Heisman finalist led the nation in passing in 2023 and totaled 9,544 passing yards, 67 TDs and 17 interceptions across 28 games in two seasons.
(Photo: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)
