The Atlanta Falcons made a huge announcement on Tuesday ahead of their Week 16 game.
The Falcons are changing starting quarterbacks from Kirk Cousins to rookie Michael Penix Jr. Falcons first-year head coach Raheem Morris addressed the move in a statement.
“After review we have made the decision Michael Penix Jr. will be the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback moving forward. This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants,” Morris said in his statement.
The move from Morris does not come as a surprise.
Morris declined to name Cousins the team’s starting quarterback for Week 16 and said the Falcons would evaluate the position. That seemed to open the door for a change that many of the team’s fans may welcome.
The Falcons are 7-7 and had been going in the wrong direction. Prior to their win over the Raiders on Monday night, the team had lost four games in a row. Cousins hadn’t thrown a touchdown and was intercepted 8 times during that span. Even in the Monday night win over the Raiders, Cousins only went 11/17 for 112 yards with one touchdown and an interception. The 36-year-old’s slump led many fans to dream about the thought of Penix taking over.
Atlanta drafted Penix No. 8 overall out of Washington following a huge season. Penix passed for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns last season at Washington and led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff. Penix seems to have a ton of potential, and the Falcons must like what they’ve seen from him in practice — at least enough to warrant making a change while they still have a shot at the playoffs.
Atlanta is one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South lead and holds a tiebreaker against them after sweeping the division series. The Falcons are making a big move — one they hope will pay off.
