The Atlanta Falcons lost their fourth game in a row and fell below .500 for the first time since September. The crushing 42-21 blowout loss to the Minnesota Vikings also knocked them out of the playoffs as they suddenly find themselves looking up at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- a team they earlier swept this season.
As the tailspin continues, the question for the Falcons has quickly become, 'Is this still working?' After the crushing loss on Sunday, The Steakhouse is growing increasingly doubtful that it is.
"There was a plan set forth by the organization to fix the ills of Marcus Mariota being 7-10 [two] years ago, of 7-10 Desmond Ridder a year ago, and now it's this year," Steak said Monday morning about the plan the Falcons had coming into the 2024 season. "The plan they presented was that Kirk Cousins is the near future over the next two years. That's our plan."
That plan got out to a fast start for the Falcons, as they raced to a 6-3 record on the arm of their new quarterback. In those nine games, Cousins threw 2,328 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Over his last four games, those numbers have gone off the rails to the tune of 1,068 yards, zero touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
Drafting Michael Penix was then supposed to be the backup plan, but questions have started to swirl around the franchise about when the future quarterback could become the current quarterback.
"Let's be pragmatic," Steak continued. "You can't tell your fanbase, even if you sneak into the playoffs, that the Kirk Cousins plan worked. It didn't work. We've had enough time to watch it."
Raheem Morris backed his quarterback but the situation with Cousins, if they do choose to move on, is an expensive one. He has the highest cap hit on the team next season ($40 million) and the unconventional Penix selection last spring only puts an accelerator on the already ticking timer.
