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The Atlanta Falcons lost 42-21 to the Minnesota Vikings to fall to 6-7. It is Atlanta's fourth consecutive loss which drops them to 6-7 and second place in the NFC South. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was not great in his return to Minnesota, with two interceptions and no touchdowns. Cousins told the media postgame that it was not his best performance, but an improvement over last week.
“Yeah, last week was a low bar, but I felt better today, more like myself,” Cousins said, per Tori McElhaney of AtlantaFalcons.com.
Week 13 saw the Falcons host the Chargers in an important cross-conference matchup. With a West Coast team playing at 1 p.m. in their building, it was a winnable game for Atlanta. Cousins threw four interceptions and let the Chargers snag the win despite a poor offensive performance.
This week, Cousins had the opportunity to win in front of his former fans in Minnesota. While he still racked up 344 yards, he was unable to keep up with Sam Darnold and the Vikings. Cousins expanded on the loss postgame, as captured by D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Disappointing day today. Left plays out there, made mistakes at times. It's never gonna be a perfect game, but you can certainly point to different moments that were important and we didn't capitalize.
Falcons need massive Kirk Cousins improvements to make the playoffs
After Week 9, the Falcons were 6-3 with a two-game lead in the NFC South and the tiebreaker over the Buccaneers. They have lost every game since and are 6-7, one game behind Tampa in the division. Cousins has been brutal in that stretch, with eight interceptions and no touchdowns.
His recent play has sparked a quarterback controversy around the Falcons. After signing Cousins to a massive contract, Atlanta drafted Michael Penix eighth overall. This is a problem this regime created, as they could have picked anyone in that spot. Now, fans and analysts are clamoring for a change at quarterback.
Whoever plays should have success next week against the Las Vegas Raiders. Their defense has been brutal and Desmond Ridder might be starting at quarterback. The Falcons should be in a get-right spot on the road next week. But with the brutal interceptions that Cousins has thrown of late, every game is losable for Atlanta.
Cousins was spectacular at the beginning of this season for the Falcons. In the past four weeks, he has cost his new team a playoff spot and could cost them the entire season.
