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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 17, 2024, 06:06 PM ET
Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris was largely noncommittal Tuesday when asked if Kirk Cousins will be the team’s starting quarterback for Sunday’s home game against the New York Giants.
The Falcons beat the Las Vegas Raiders 15-9 on the road on “Monday Night Football” to snap a four-game losing streak. But Cousins once again didn’t look like himself. He was 11 of 17 for 112 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Cousins has nine interceptions in the last five games with just a single touchdown during that stretch.
“We just got back [to Georgia], man,” Morris said during a virtual news conference, when asked if Cousins will start against the Giants. “We’ve still got to go through all that process like we always do. Obviously getting back [early Tuesday morning], getting a big-time win. … There’s no secret. We didn’t play well enough [at] the quarterback position, and we got to find ways to play better.”
In previous weeks, Morris had been firm that Cousins would be the team’s starting quarterback moving forward. Not so Tuesday.
The Falcons drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the NFL draft back in April to be the team’s quarterback of the future.
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When asked if there was still a feeling in the building that Cousins was the quarterback that gave the Falcons the best chance to win, Morris replied, “That’s a loaded question.”
“We didn’t play particularly well at the quarterback position,” Morris said of the Raiders game. “We didn’t play well yesterday at that spot. I like to be open and honest and clear about those things and it was always going to be those question marks … when it comes to the head coach, when it comes to the quarterback, and you got to be really transparent about it and we got to play better. And I think that’s the thing that’s got to be put out there, that we got to play better. That’s the thing that’s got to be addressed.”
Cousins didn’t throw on first down a single time in the first half Monday night, the first time that has occurred in his 13-year career. He threw on first down to open the second half and it resulted in an interception by Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane. Running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier combined for 34 carries, which was the bulk of the team’s offense.
After the game, Cousins said he had to play better and that Morris saying that in the postgame news conference was stating the “obvious.”
Cousins, 36, is completing 64.7% of his passes with 18 touchdowns and a league-high 16 interceptions. He also has 12 fumbles, which is tied for the most in the NFL with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Cousins is coming off a torn right Achilles that ended his season in Week 8 of 2023. The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason. About $100 million of that is guaranteed, though most of that money comes off the books by 2026.
When it comes to playing Penix, Morris said the Falcons are “being really smart and cautious in how we go about our business,” but doesn’t necessarily believe there is a downside to playing him at this juncture.
“You could never say there’s a [downside] to turn it over to somebody that you put a lot of investment into, somebody that you brought in here, somebody you’ve done some things with, somebody that [has] said nothing but the right things since they’ve been here,” Morris said of Penix.
Morris said he needs to “remain steadfast” and make the best decision for the team moving forward. At 7-7, the Falcons are still fighting for a playoff spot despite the four-game losing streak that plummeted them out of first place in the NFC South.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) projections, Atlanta has a 29% chance to make the playoffs and a 20.7% chance of winning the NFC South.
“You’ve got to win and like I said, man, we’re going to do whatever’s best for us to win as many games as we can win this season,” Morris said. “And that’s just our job.”
