Is it time to keep Kirk Cousins
By: Jake Rajala
Captain Kirk showed he wasn’t a dud in Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints. Cousins unleashed a pair of touchdowns and 199 passing yards. He had a 107 passer rating, which is admirable.
Of course, Cousins is stepping in for Michael Penix, who is getting ACL surgery. Penix will most likely be out for the season.
Hence, it’s wise to have a potent QB2. Well, Cousins has proven to be one of the best backup QBs. Cousins unleashed 18 passing touchdowns last season. The tricky part is that Cousins led the league in interceptions. I believe Cousins proved to trust his deep ball more in the Saints game. Darnell Mooney had 74 yards and an interception.
Bijan Robinson was also a stud in the Saints game, which takes a ton of pressure off Penix. Robinson had 70 rushing yards on 14 carries (hence, he averaged 5.0 YPC).
Not only is Cousins a modest QB2, but the Falcons don’t have impressive backup options in the FA pool in 2026. I would take Cousins, who has experience in the scheme, over Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco.
Penix is also not well proven, to a point where the Falcons can have a C+ quality at QB2. They need to be reliable at the QB2 spot. He was 1-2 as a rookie. So, there isn’t time to panic. He could take a step above and win more games in his second season. Right? Well, not quite. Penix went 3-6 in his second season. Yikes.
Even Cousins went 7-7 in 2024 and then 4-4 in 2023!
The Buccaneers loss against the LA Rams and the Panthers loss against the 49ers prove the NFC South is wide open. The Falcons just need to play each game like it’s the Super Bowl. Perhaps a .500 record could be enough to push the Falcons into the postseason.
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