Kirk Cousins doesn’t have to worry about the bench for now.
On Sunday before the Falcons’ game against the Vikings, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Cousins would not be slotted in for rookie Michael Penix Jr. despite his recent struggles.
“They believe he’ll bounce back, they believe he’ll be resilient,” Rapoport said of the Falcons. “They want to rally around cousins.”
In his last three starts before Sunday, Cousins failed to throw a touchdown pass, instead throwing six interceptions, nearly matching his total of seven from the last nine weeks combined.
It marks the coldest blip in the 36-year-old’s 13-year NFL career.
It wasn’t until Sunday that things continued against his former team.
Cousins completed 23 of 37 pass attempts for 344 yards without registering a passing touchdown in the Vikings’ 42-21 win over the Falcons.
The Falcons didn’t envision the slide when they signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract, including a $50 million signing bonus from the Vikings.
In six of his seasons in Minnesota, Cousins led the team to three winning seasons, including two playoff appearances in 2019 and 2022.
Cousins is also the first player with 100 or more pass attempts, zero passing touchdowns, at least six interceptions and at least one pick-six in three games since Brett Favre suffered a similar blip with the Packers from Week 14 to Week 16 in 2005.
The left-handed Penix, selected No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Washington, was part of two big losses for the Falcons this year – against the Broncos and the Seahawks.
In the two games with nine collective snaps, he has completed three of five pass attempts for 38 yards, including three first downs, but no touchdowns or interceptions.
Cousins’ inadequacies have resulted in Atlanta slipping to a 6-7 record and in second place in the NFC South behind the Buccaneers (7-6).
