It has happened. With three games left in the 2024 NFL season, the Atlanta Falcons are sending their $40 million/year quarterback to the bench in favor of 2024 first round draft pick Michael Penix. This was not the way that the 2024 season was supposed to go. This was not even in the Falcons’ plans for 2025 either, but here we are. This is a move that had to happen, and it had to happen now. Kirk Cousins has not looked good in the Falcons last five games, four of them being losses. Cousins was given a chance to right the sinking ship versus the Raiders on Monday Night Football, and while the Falcons did win the game, Cousins did not look good and the whole world bared witness.
The Falcons were able to skate by versus the Raiders, largely due to defense and special teams, and had to escape Las Vegas in spite of Kirk Cousins’ play, not because of. Now, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning over the weekend, the Falcons still find themselves one game back for the NFC South lead. The good thing about that is the Falcons have beaten the Bucs twice this season and own the season tiebreaker for the division crown. The bad thing is that for this scenario to play out, the Bucs will have to lose to either the Cowboys, Panthers, or Saints in the last three games, all teams with losing records. This also means that the Falcons will need to run the table against the Giants, Commanders, and Panthers, with two of those three having losing records. The finish to the season should be an interesting one, and if the falcons can pull off winning the division, the playoff road will not be an easy one. In the first round of the playoffs, the Falcons would likely host the Vikings or Commanders, both teams with a decent pass rush. If there is one thing that we could all see this season, it is that Kirk Cousins is the epitome of a pocket passer, and has not been able to evade pass rush at all this season. Now, with Penix at the helm, you have to believe that the pass game improves with a quarterback in the game that can avoid being sacked. Don’t get me wrong, Penix will make a lot of mistakes in the early going, but then again, that is why we are here. Something tells me that Michael Penix Jr will have better than a 1-9 touchdown to interception ratio in his first five games though, all the Falcons are wishing is that he has a lot less of the latter as they attempt to make a run through the playoffs with a rookie quarterback being introduced to the NFL for the first time. Randy McMichael and Abe Gordon discuss the Falcons’ quarterback switch a little further, and what this may mean for a potential playoff run.
