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Falcons coach addresses questions about benching Kirk Cousins

December 9, 2024
by Steve DelVecchio
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Atlanta FalconsKirk CousinsRaheem Morris
Kirk Cousins in a hat

Sep 29, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) walks off the field after a game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Kirk Cousins is in the middle of one of the worst stretches of play in his NFL career, but it does not sound like the Atlanta Falcons quarterback is in danger of losing his job.

Cousins finished 23/37 for 344 yards, no touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the Falcons’ 42-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at U.S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. He has now thrown 8 interceptions and no touchdown passes in Atlanta’s last four games, all of which were losses.

Following Sunday’s defeat, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris was asked what would need to happen for him to consider making a quarterback switch. While Morris did not entirely rule it out, he continued to support Cousins.

“Everything is always discussed when you go watch the tape and do those types of things, but Kirk Cousins is our quarterback,” Morris said. “We’ll have the ability to go watch this tape just like we do every single week. You know, Kirk played significantly better than he did the week before. We got a chance to go out there and focus on us and get a chance to go out there and really work on what we do and what we do well. We’ll do whatever’s best to go win football games, and Kirk’s definitely a part of that.”

Morris also claimed the Falcons made a deliberate effort to run the ball in the red zone rather than throwing it. You can hear his full response:

Cousins signed a 4-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons in the offseason. The team then made a stunning move by trading up to No. 8 overall in the NFL Draft and selecting former Washington star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Now that Atlanta has fallen to 6-7 on the season, the pressure is mounting.

A recent report made it seem like the Falcons are leaning toward keeping Penix on the bench. Cousins is now up to 15 interceptions on the season, however, so he needs to start protecting the ball in order for the questions about his job status to stop.