As many speculated, an injury did have something to do with Kirk Cousins’ sudden drop-off in play. The Falcons quarterback revealed that it happened during Atlanta’s Week 10 loss in New Orleans.
This answers a lot of questions. Cousins set a Falcons franchise record against the Buccaneers about a month earlier and threw for nearly 500 yards and seven touchdowns in the two weeks combined before the Saints loss, a loss that began a four-game skid that eventually cost the Falcons a playoff spot.
Even when the Falcons stopped the bleeding in a Monday Night Football victory over the Raiders, Cousins was still dreadful, barely topping 100 yards and throwing an ugly interception. It was abundantly clear he’d lost something.
The Falcons turned to Michael Penix Jr. for the final three games of the season, which effectively ended the Cousins era in Atlanta. This nugget that the veteran injured his elbow and shoulder during the Saints game is actually good news for the Falcons.
The Falcons have already opened Pandora’s box. There’s no going back to Kirk Cousins; it’s Michael Penix Jr.’s time in Atlanta. However, it certainly improves Cousins’ trade value.
Prior to the Saints game, Cousins had thrown for 2,328 yards and 17 touchdowns to only seven interceptions on 69.15% passing. Over 17 games, that’s nearly 4,400 yards and 32 touchdowns.
That’s probably what the Falcons imagined when they gave Cousins $180 million in free agency. Unfortunately, that injury led to a stretch of play where Cousins threw nine interceptions and only one touchdown.
Falcons GM Terry Fontenot can point to that nine-game stretch as a reason for another GM to believe Cousins still has some left in the tank. This improves the veteran’s trade value, make no mistake about it.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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