Kirk Cousins led the Atlanta Falcons to a 15-9 win against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15. The NFC South team snapped its three-game losing streak and is now 7-7 on the season.
Cousins threw a passing touchdown for the first time in five weeks, but his performance was not great. Due to this, the Falcons have made a quarterback change for Week 16. Michael Penix Jr. is set to start his first NFL game, and it will be against the New York Giants.
Fans Troll Kirk Cousins After Falcons Bench Veteran QB
Earlier on Tuesday, Raheem Morris avoided naming the starter for the Falcons’ upcoming game against New York. The team was evaluating everything and ultimately decided to bench the veteran quarterback.
“I think we’ve got to go through the process,” Morris said, per 32BeatWriters on X (formerly known as Twitter). “I think you guys are catching me at a different moment in time than we’ve normally been. We’ve had more time. We’re still looking into those things and doing the things that we go through, that we do as an organization, just in general.”
Many fans across social media initially called out the Falcons franchise for not making a quarterback change.
“$180 million wasted,” said one fan earlier in the day.
The team finally giving Penix the opportunity to start sparked more reactions as fans continued to take shots at Cousins. Here are some of the reactions:
It’s almost like giving a 35 year old coming off a serious injury over 100 million dollars is not a great idea https://t.co/C8JvvyA6oj
— sam 🇻🇦 (@hrtgrrl) December 18, 2024
“At least the pick will make sense. Kirk is physically fu**ing cooked,” wrote another fan in reaction to the benching.
It'd be a good game for Penix to start and get confidence. The Giants can't stop anybody.
— UpwardSpyrl (@USpyrl) December 17, 2024
“Kirk’s career is over,” said a fan.
Another fan added, “Kirk is washed. Just move on from him next year and make Penix the franchise QB.”
Further cementing Kirk Cousins place among the greatest scam artists of all time https://t.co/tnioxt2sa8
— steve 🐀 (@SLAPSTEV) December 18, 2024
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons in free agency. He expressed his desire to finish his career in Atlanta, but based on the recent developments, the veteran quarterback might need to find a new team sooner than expected.
If Penix starts and plays well, the Falcons could cut Cousins in the offseason, but they would have to take a dead cap hit even greater than the Denver Broncos took for Russell Wilson.
Starting Michael Penix Jr. Is Quite Risky for the Falcons
The Falcons drafted Penix with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. While almost everyone criticized this decision, the team now finds itself in a very good spot.
Cousins has thrown for 1,180 yards, one touchdown, and nine interceptions in his last five games, and a change might be necessary. However, starting the rookie quarterback is still a pretty risky move for the Falcons.
There’s a world where Penix looks excellent from the jump and leads the Falcons to a division title, with the offense playing at an elite level. However, what if he struggles and plays worse than Cousins? What will Atlanta do then?
They cannot afford to bench Penix now that he has replaced Cousins, as it could permanently damage his confidence. Therefore, the decision to move on from the veteran quarterback was not easy. The coaching staff is now under pressure as they have to stick with the Washington product and continue with him even if the team misses the playoffs.