Falcons head coach Raheem Morris wasn’t ready to commit to a starting quarterback at his Tuesday afternoon press conference.
It didn’t take long for him to make a decision. Just hours later, the Falcons announced that rookie Michael Penix Jr. Kirk Cousins’ starting quarterback will take over. Penix, the No. 8 pick in April’s NFL draft, will make his debut as an NFL starter on Sunday against the Giants.
“After review, we have made the decision that Michael Penix will be the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons,” Morris said. via a statement released by the Falcons. “This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”
Earlier Tuesday, Morris said this when asked if Cousins would start at quarterback against the Giants on Sunday:
“We just got back, man,” Morris said, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN. “We still have to go through that whole process like we always do. Obviously we came back late last night and got a big win.”
That was less than 24 hours after a tepid offensive performance in a narrow victory over a two-win Raiders team. But Morris hinted at his impending decision.
“There’s always going to be a question mark when it comes to the head coach, when it comes to the quarterback,” Morris continued on the Falcons’ team website. “And you have to be very transparent about it. We have to play better.”
Penix takes over as the Falcons fight to make the playoffs at 7-7. They are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, but have a chance to rally for a postseason berth with games remaining against the Giants, Commanders and Panthers.
Until Tuesday, Morris remained steadfast in his support for Cousins.
“Kirk is our quarterback,” Morris said on Dec. 9 after a Week 14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. “Kirk is the man who is going to lead us.”
Cousins threw two interceptions and no touchdowns in that 42-21 loss to his former team. The loss to the Vikings ended Atlanta’s four-game losing streak, leaving them out of the NFC playoff picture.
Then came Monday night’s game. The Falcons held on for a 15–9 win, but failed to secure the win over a Raiders team with the worst record in the NFL until the final game. Atlanta’s offense scored just one touchdown despite starting most of its drives in premium field position on a night when the Falcons’ defense forced a fumble at midfield and their special teams blocked two punts.
Cousins was inaccurate on several downfield throws and struggled with mobility limitations that have plagued him since suffering a torn Achilles tendon last season. He finished the night completing 11 of 17 passes for 112 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Barring an unexpected return to the field, Cousins concludes his freshman season with the Falcons having completed 66.9% of his passes for 7.7 yards per attempt and 250.6 yards per game with 18 touchdowns and an NFL worst 16 interceptions through 14 games.
He joined the Falcons this offseason on a four-year, $180 million deal after playing six seasons with the Vikings. Two months after signing Cousins to that deal, Atlanta made a surprise decision to draft Penix eighth overall in April. Now the Falcons get a chance to see if their well-drafted rookie will pay off.
Penix has limited reps in relief and has completed 3 of 5 passes in two NFL appearances. He led one of college football’s most potent offensive attacks in Washington and now gets a chance to show how his talent translates to the NFL with the postseason on the line.
