Marc Raimondi, ESPN journalist
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Less than 24 hours after being benched, Kirk Cousins he said he would do everything he could to help the new guy Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Sokół’s coach Raheem Morris made the decision to found Penix on Tuesday following the team Victory 15-9 over Las Vegas Invaders on “Monday Night Football.” Cousins struggled in this game, had a limited game plan and currently has nine steals in his last five appearances.
“It’s professional football and I have the standards I have for myself and the team for me, but unfortunately I haven’t played consistently enough at that level,” Cousins said in his first comments since the switch. “And it is what it is, and you deal with it, and now you’re still preparing – kind of a ‘one game away’ kind of thing – you’re supporting Mike and just trying to help our team find a way to win these last three and get to the playoffs, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Cousins said he spoke with Morris on the phone Tuesday evening and was informed that Penix would go live. Cousins then said he called the rookie.
“Just let him know I’ll be on his side, I’ll support him and I’ll try to help him any way I can,” Cousins said.
Why did he feel the need to make that call?
“I like to shoot the elephants in the room, so I wanted to photograph just one,” Cousins said.
The Falcons are 7-7 and are in second place in the NFC South. They have priority in overtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) projections, they still have a 20% chance of making the playoffs.
Atlanta hosts two wins New York Giants on Sunday.
Morris said Wednesday that the biggest factor in Cousins being benched was his turnovers. Cousins has a league-high 16 interceptions, and his 12 fumbles are the most in the NFL by a Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Cousins, 36, said he agrees with Morris that turnovers are deadly in the NFL. He repeated that despite returning in 2023 after an Achilles rupture, he was not injured.
“I think going back to the losses, I think it’s more of a decision-making issue than anything else and it has nothing to do with any physical limitations,” Cousins said.
Morris said Cousins told him he would be “the best No. 2 quarterback in the National Football League.”
As for the future after this season, Cousins said he will address that when the time comes.
When asked if he still wanted to be a starter in the NFL, Cousins replied: “I haven’t forgotten how to play quarterback. The losses were certainly not what you wanted, but I didn’t forget how to play.”
