Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris continues to insist he’ll ride with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins over rookie Michael Penix Jr. until further notice despite Cousins’ struggles over the past four games.
For a piece published Wednesday, NFL insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN addressed whether Morris could change his mind before Week 18.
“I honestly don’t think anything has changed since the day Penix was drafted,” Graziano explained. “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. …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.”
Atlanta signed Cousins to a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M guaranteed this past offseason, and he guided the club to a 6-3 record before he endured a slump that included tossing eight interceptions and zero touchdown passes over four consecutive losses. However, the Falcons trail only the 7-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the race for the NFC South division title, and Atlanta beat Tampa Bay twice earlier in the campaign.
“The last time a quarterback went four straight games with no touchdown passes and eight or more interceptions in a single season was Brett Favre in 2005,” ESPN’s Marc Raimondi shared in a different article. “Since Week 10…Cousins’ 45 QBR is 27th in the league. He has the worst touchdown-to-interception ratio and the most turnovers in the NFL. And his completion percentage (62%) is 25th.”
With that said, Fowler noted that Cousins enters Week 15 third in the NFL with 3,396 passing yards for the campaign. Fowler added that “Cousins’ production should return to the mean eventually,” such as when Atlanta plays at the lowly Las Vegas Raiders (2-11) this coming Monday night.
As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the 6-7 Falcons as 4.5-point favorites against the Raiders. If Cousins flops at Allegiant Stadium, Morris may feel he has to turn to Penix for Atlanta’s Week 16 showdown versus the New York Giants (2-11) on Dec. 22.
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