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The Atlanta Falcons paid quarterback Kirk Cousins huge money this offseason to ditch the Minnesota Vikings and be their starter, and pretty much everything the franchise has done since has sent the opposite message.
First, Atlanta drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick less than two months after inking Cousins to a $180 million contract — a move that, by several accounts, left Cousins blindsided and flabbergasted.
Most recently, following a narrow victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in a must-win game, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris spoke candidly about the team’s considerations of moving on to the rookie quarterback due to Cousins’ struggles.
“He wants to play better. He’s got to play better. We gotta find a way to get him to play better,” Morris said during his postgame press conference.
A reporter followed up with an inquiry about if/when the Falcons might consider moving on to Penix as the starter.
“We got everybody on our roster for a reason,” Morris continued. “Those things will always be discussed, that’s just the nature of the beast in football.”
Kirk Cousins Battling Toughest Stretch of NFL Career With Falcons
GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta was 6-3 with two victories over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and in firm control of the NFC South approximately a month and a half ago. However, the scenario has changed drastically since then, in large part due to arguably the worst stretch of football from Cousins in his NFL career.
A three-time Pro Bowler in Minnesota, Cousins tossed 8 interceptions compared to zero touchdowns across a four-game losing streak heading into Atlanta’s “Monday Night Football” showdown against the Raiders.
Things weren’t considerably better in Las Vegas, as the 36-year-old QB completed 11-of-17 passes for 112 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. The Falcons posted just 15 points and eked out a win over the Raiders by 6, with Las Vegas quarterback Desmond Ridder throwing two deep balls into the end zone on the final two plays of the game, both of which had the Atlanta sideline holding its breath.
The Bucs lead the Falcons for the division title with three contests to play. Cousins acknowledged the situation in Atlanta, to which he’s contributed meaningfully, in what was far from a celebratory tone Monday night, even despite the victory.
“I think the last few weeks I would say I need to play better,” Cousins said. “Raheem says it, but it’s stating the obvious, and every week you kind of go through your process and you plan to go out there and play the very best you can.”
Vikings QB Sam Darnold Has Outplayed Kirk Cousins by Wide Margin
GettyQuarterback Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.
Meanwhile, quarterback Sam Darnold has the Vikings at 12-2 and tied for the best record in the NFC with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.
With Minnesota’s dueling Monday night victory over the Chicago Bears, the team has put itself in a position to claim both the NFC North Division crown and a No. 1 playoff seed by winning out over its final three games, which includes a Week 18 matchup in Detroit.
Darnold isn’t going to win the MVP Award considering the competition — namely Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, who is currently the frontrunner by a wide margin. However, Darnold is in the discussion with 3,530 passing yards, 29 TDs and 11 INTs over his first 14 starts in Minnesota.
The icing on the cake for the Vikings is that they are getting this play from Darnold on a one-year deal worth just $10 million, which is approximately 5.5% of the total value of Cousins’ four-year contract with the Falcons.
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Falcons Send Kirk Cousins Stern Warning After Close Call Against Raiders