Overreaction Monday: The Falcons need to bench Kirk Cousins

Is it an overreaction to say the Falcons need to bench Kirk Cousins for Michael Penix Jr.? 

A month ago, the club was 6-3 and in complete control of the NFC South, with Cousins playing like a borderline top 10 quarterback. Over the last three games, with a bye week sandwiched in between, Atlanta has completely lost their cushion in the division while riding a three-game losing streak. Cousins hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Week 9, marking the longest stretch of his career he’s gone without a touchdown pass. Combine that with the six interceptions and four fumbles, and it’s hard to argue against Penix getting the reins.

But ESPN’s Dan Graziano says it’s an overreaction to bench the veteran in favor of the rookie.

“But as always in cases like this, it’s important to ask whether and why we’re sure things would be better with Penix. He’s a fun prospect, for sure, and he enters the league with a wealth of college experience (45 starts). But asking a rookie who has never started an NFL game to come in with five games left and save the season is an awful lot. If Atlanta makes this move and Penix can’t get it done, it’s going to be pretty tough to go back to Cousins — this year or next.

The Falcons’ self-inflicted QB conundrum is a sticky one, I’m not denying that. But it still seems like the best bet for turning things around is the veteran who has been through this before. If it doesn’t work, the Falcons can make the change in the offseason and move on from Cousins after one year. But a move this seismic at this time of year has major backfire potential.”

While I appreciate Graziano’s sentiment, making a change to Michael Penix would have nothing to do with 2024. Kirk Cousins is absolutely the best option to “turn things around” in Atlanta, but what’s the point?

This Falcons team is flawed, and Cousins is clearly past his physical prime. If his decision-making isn’t on-point, he’s a below-average quarterback. But even at his best, the Falcons aren’t a serious contender. Making a change at signal caller would be more about the future than anything.

As Graziano notes, if the Falcons do plan to move on from Cousins this offseason, it would be wise to get Penix valuable playing time before handing him the reins next season. It’s not a dissimilar situation from when Atlanta kept starting Marcus Mariota instead of seeing what Desmond Ridder had in 2022.

The Falcons wasted time pretending they could compete with Mariota, and though Raheem Morris is the head coach instead of Arthur Smith, the dynamics aren’t too different.

It’s not an easy decision. It’s basically Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot admitting they were wrong, but the Falcons brought this scrutiny on themselves. Now, they have to deal with the backlash of their decisions, like most imagined they would prior to the start of the season.

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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire