If you're a Falcons fan and think it's worth celebrating after a win against the Raiders, I don't know what to tell you. Atlanta had one of its most putrid performances of the season on Monday night, fighting tooth and nail against one of the NFL's worst teams, winning 15-9 in Las Vegas.
It's amazing how the Falcons have plummeted to earth after a 6-3 start, and a lot of that is down to Kirk Cousins. Monday was the day that all of the trouble came to a head for the veteran quarterback. He only threw for 112 yards, one TD, and one interception against a Raiders pass defense that ranks 27th in the NFL in passing touchdowns. In the end, it was up to Bijan Robinson and the run game to bail out Atlanta, and they managed to do that, but there was nothing impressive about the Falcons' passing offense.
Cousins was supposed to be missing. The quarterback took the organization from “NFC South Contenders” to “Super Bowl Contenders,” and to be fair, this all seemed to work out. This is the same Kirk Cousins who had a monster run in Minnesota, paired with a dynamic running back like Robinson, and a solid receiving corps of Drake Rondon, Darnell Moody, and Kyle Pitts. Working from that assumption seemed to be the secret to success.
Instead, our offensive line isn't good enough to block a quarterback with below-average mobility, and while Rondon and Moody are putting up numbers (both should finish the season with over 1,000 yards) ), Cousins threw away his career. He had 16 interceptions this year and scored 18 touchdowns.
The organization needed stability and reliability at this position, and to be honest, Cousins was neither of those things. His 88.6 passer rating ranks 23rd among quarterbacks with 100 or more pass attempts this season, and is on par with rookies Drake Maye (88.4) and Caleb Williams (87.7).
This brings us to the next part. It's time to start Michael Penix Jr.
The Falcons need to be realistic about their goals and what's best for the franchise. At this point, we know what Kirk Cousins can bring. At best, Atlanta has to hope. buccaneers Dropping games from the Cowboys, Panthers, and Saints (all likely to win) while also guaranteeing wins against the Giants, Commanders, and Panthers. They could then win the NFC South and find a backdoor into the Wild Card round, where they will almost certainly be beaten by a better team.
Atlanta's goal was the 2024 Super Bowl, but that hasn't happened. So it's time to change direction. Penix Jr. was already an old rookie when the team selected him, but he's not getting any younger. At 24, he's already older than five of the league's starting QBs. Keeping him on the bench means the Falcons have no idea how the offense works with him, and the worst-case scenario is him coming out and getting a few reps. , which means losing the match. And the Falcons will get a better draft pick. Choose for it.
by Lose outside Atlanta has a chance to go as high as No. 10 in the NFL Draft (currently No. 17), which would further improve their chances of finding a difference-maker at a position of need. It's a bad ending to this piece, but it's still a very good one.
To be fair, this problem is bigger than Kirk Cousins. Offensive coordinator Zach Robinson has struggled to plan and alleviate his lack of mobility to develop ways to win consistently, but in 2024 the coordinator will be the perfect statue behind the line of scrimmage. It is no exaggeration to say that there is no need to deal with it. This is another reason why the team should start Penix now to evaluate the rookie and see if he can cook up within the team's offensive line.
This is a series ruined by waiting too long to pull the trigger on difficult decisions. Now it's time to rip off the Band-Aid and jump to retooling at the right time.
