It took a little longer than many expected, but the Atlanta Falcons are finally showing Kirk Cousins the bench. That means that Washington Huskies legend Michael Penix Jr. is finally going to get his chance to start in the NFL.
This whole weird situation is finally over.
And it wasn’t exactly weird because Cousins wasn’t good. It was weird because the Falcons spent absurd amounts of guaranteed money on Cousins, who has been inconsistent and in some instances downright unimpressive.
And when you add in the context of all of that along with the fact that the Falcons used a first round pick on an incredibly talented college quarterback who arrived in the NFL with a bit more experience than most after his six seasons of playing time between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Washington Huskies, then it just gets even weirder.
But after an underwhelming showing against the Los Vegas Raiders, Cousins is headed to the sideline while Penix will get his shot to start for the Falcons.
Atlanta Falcons name Washington Huskies legend Michael Penix Jr. their starting quarterback after showing Kirk Cousins the bench
It is worth noting that it’s not like Cousins has been consistently awful all throughout this season. In 14 games, Cousins has managed to complete 66.9 percent of his passes while throwing for 3508 yards and 18 touchdowns. That said, he’s also thrown 16 interceptions and is fresh off a game in which he threw for just 112 yards, one touchdown, and one pick.
Oh, and along with that, over the past five games for the Falcons, Cousins has thrown a single touchdown (that aforementioned score against Las Vegas) while also throwing nine interceptions.
So, the Falcons are moving on. They’re focusing on their future by turning to the 24-year-old quarterback to take control of the offense instead of the 36-year-old quarterback, but also they’re trying to make a push to get into the playoffs. With how Cousins has been playing as of late, there’s no guarantee that he would continue to play well enough to give the Falcons a shot there.
Maybe making a change to the first round draft pick of a QB who lit the world on fire for the Washington Huskies is the right move to make here?