FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons (7-7) are making a swap on the quarterback place, changing Kirk Cousins with Michael Penix Jr. because the beginning quarterback in Week 16, based on an announcement despatched out by the crew on Tuesday night time.
“After assessment we have now made the choice Michael Penix would be the Atlanta Falcons beginning quarterback transferring ahead,” head coach Raheem Morris mentioned within the assertion. “This was a soccer resolution and we’re totally targeted on making ready the crew for Sunday’s sport towards the New York Giants.”
This information comes after Morris was questioned concerning the quarterback state of affairs in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon. He reiterated then that the Falcons want extra from the quarterback place.
Though the Falcons beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football, the offensive efficiency and lack of manufacturing overshadowed the 15-9 win that snapped a four-game shedding streak for the group.
Atlanta by no means made it to the purple zone regardless of profitable subject place to start a handful of drives. As an offense, the Falcons have struggled within the final month to attain factors, and the dialog round Cousins’ position in that inefficiency has solely grown for the reason that finish of October, when he led the league in passing yards.
Since then, nonetheless, Cousins — together with the crew at giant — has seen a agency lead within the NFC South slip away.
Exiting Week 15, Cousins led the league in interceptions with 16. For context, 9 of these interceptions got here within the final 5 video games. During that very same time-frame, Cousins has solely thrown one landing move and the Falcons have solely gained one sport.
“We did not play significantly effectively on the quarterback place,” Morris mentioned Tuesday afternoon. “We did not play effectively (Monday) at that spot. I prefer to be open and sincere about these issues. It’s all the time going to be these questions marks. It’s all the time going to be these query marks in the case of head coach, in the case of the quarterback. And you bought to be actually clear about it. We received to play higher. I believe that is the factor that is received to be put on the market, that we received to play higher, and that is the factor that is received to be addressed. This factor’s received to occur to ensure that us to search out methods to win versus our subsequent opponent, which is the New York Giants.”
The Falcons will now look to their No. 8 total draft choose in Penix to take over the offense.
For the group that signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in March, this wasn’t the unique plan.
The plan was to have Cousins because the starter now, and Penix because the starter of the long run.
After the problems the group confronted on the quarterback place when it traded Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, the Falcons weren’t prepared to return to quarterback carousel of the years that adopted. They needed — and wanted — stability on the place. So, they introduced in Cousins in free company and drafted Penix two months later within the first spherical of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“If you imagine in a quarterback, it’s a must to take him,” common supervisor Terry Fontenot mentioned after the Falcons drafted Penix. “And if he sits for 4 or 5 years, that is a fantastic drawback to have as a result of we’re doing so effectively at that place. So, it is so simple as, should you see a man you imagine in at that place, it’s a must to take him.”
That was the unique plan as defined by Morris and Fontenot again in May. That plan, nonetheless, has modified.
The Falcons will now look to Penix, who led the NCAA in passing yards in 2023 when he was with Washington. Penix will take over an offense that — regardless of its latest struggles to attain — has particular person playmakers on profession years.
Running again Bijan Robinson broke the 1,000-yards speeding mark on Monday night time. He is 24 scrimmage yards away from 3,000 profession scrimmage yards. Wide receiver Drake London holds the longest energetic streak of landing receptions in consecutive primetime video games. He’s additionally the one participant in franchise historical past with at the very least 65 receptions in every of his first three seasons. Darnell Mooney has been a welcomed addition to the unit since signing with the crew again in March. He averages over 15 yards a completion and is on tempo to return near his most profitable season’s receiving output (2021).
Meanwhile, the Falcons protection is selecting up steam after starting the season with a plethora of move rush questions. In the final three weeks, the Falcons are the one crew within the NFL with an energetic streak of at the very least 4 sacks in three consecutive video games.
Despite all of this, the Falcons are 1-4 of their final 5 outings. They are a sport behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers within the NFC South standings. With three video games left within the common season (towards the Giants, Commanders and Panthers), the Falcons will depend on Penix to assist get them the wins they should keep in-step with the Buccaneers. The Falcons maintain the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay, to allow them to realistically punch their ticket into the postseason by having the identical document as Tampa Bay on the season’s finish.
