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The Atlanta Falcons beat the Las Vegas Raiders 15-9 on Monday to move to 7-7 on the season. While they broke their four-game losing streak, it was a less-than-inspiring performance on offense. Kirk Cousins threw for just 112 yards and his first touchdown in a month in the game. But head coach Raheem Morris did not shut down benching Kirk Cousins in favor of Michael Penix Jr.
“We just got back,” Morris said Tuesday, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic. “We still have to go through that process. All those things will happen over the course of the week. We didn’t play well enough at the quarterback position.”
The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a massive contract this offseason, making him their short-term franchise quarterback. A month later, they used a top-ten pick to select Penix out of the University of Washington. That created an immediate quarterback controversy before anyone took a snap.
The Falcons were 6-3 after beating the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. They had a two-game lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South and the tiebreaker because of their wins over Tampa. But their losing streak, coupled with a surge from the Bucs, has Atlanta fighting for a playoff spot.
Falcons need better quarterback play to make the playoffs
It is only Raheem Morris' first season as the Falcons' head coach but has massive expectations to meet. With a new quarterback and great offensive weapons, they were expected to run away with a bad division. But Cousins has failed them in recent weeks and needs to turn it around quickly.
Week 15 was the game for Cousins to turn it around. The Falcons played a depleted Raiders defense and eyeballs were focused on Caleb Williams against the Vikings. It had the makings of a big-numbers performance to get the heat off of Cousins while the national attention turned to Chicago. Instead, the Falcons have a quarterback controversy.
Michael Penix Jr has only five pass attempts in the NFL, with three completions and 38 yards. If he comes in and shines, the Falcons can make a run to the playoffs and be a potential upset team in the Wild Card Round. This Falcons team needs more talent and could use a big performance from their top-ten pick.
The Falcons play the New York Giants at home in Week 16. That would be a great landing spot for Penix, as their defense is poor and was just crushed by the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens.
