The Atlanta Falcons' recent struggles continued in Week 13 with another loss, dropping a 17-13 back-and-forth battle to the Los Angeles Chargers. After their third straight loss, a bulk of the blame was placed on quarterback Kirk Cousins, who ended the game with four interceptions.
Of Cousins' heap of turnovers, his fourth interception was the final dagger. On 4th-and-12, Cousins attempted to hit Drake London over the middle in a tight window but instead found the hands of safety Derwin James.
Kirk Cousins throws his fourth interception of the day, this one to Derwin James. The Falcons are going to lose at home and fall to .500.pic.twitter.com/tTz1eH8gOk https://t.co/BSUKSjmrT5
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 1, 2024
The 13-year veteran took full responsibility for the loss after the game, saying he “has to play better.” Cousins also narrowly avoided a fifth turnover after an earlier fumble was recovered by center Drew Dalman.
“I have to look at myself and I know I have to play better,” Cousins said, via Falcons reporter Tori McElhaney. “[I need to] look back and figure out how to make sure I never do that again.”
While Cousins was berated by the public, head coach Raheem Morris was less than pleased with his quarterback's performance as well. After the game, Morris said his team “can't turn the ball over four times and expect to win,” per team reporter Terrin Waack.
Tarheeb Still and Marcus Maye joined James in intercepting Cousins, with Still grabbing two. Maye had not even fully integrated himself into the Chargers' defense before the game and signed with Los Angeles mid-week after being released by the Miami Dolphins. His interception was perhaps the most punishing for the Falcons, with it coming in the end zone to halt an otherwise encouraging drive.
Falcons fall to 6-6 with Week 13 loss

With their third consecutive loss, the Falcons have fallen to a dead-even 6-6 record to sour their 6-3 start. They remain in first place in the NFC South for the time being but could end up in a tie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, depending on how the latter fares in their late afternoon matchup with the Carolina Panthers. However, the Falcons, have already gone 2-0 against the Buccaneers to give them the tiebreaker.
By the time the Falcons pick up their next win, it will have been over a month since their last victory. A bye in Week 12 did not make matters any better for the team on the other side, leaving them winless since picking up a 27-21 nod over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9.