Kirk Cousins’ tenure with the Atlanta Falcons started well, as the team was 6-3 after Week 9. Unfortunately, Atlanta has lost four straight games since then, and the star quarterback has thrown zero touchdown passes and eight interceptions during this losing streak.
The fans are fed up with Cousins and already want him benched. However, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is not making a change, and he recently praised the veteran quarterback for his performance in the Week 14 loss against the Minnesota Vikings.
Falcons Fans Call Out Raheem Morris for Comments on Kirk Cousins
In the 42-21 loss against the Vikings, Cousins threw for 344 yards and two interceptions, completing 62.2% of his throws. Morris mentioned that the 36-year-old quarterback showed “significant improvement.”
The Falcons fans on social media called out their head coach as they did not agree with his assessment of the quarterback. Here’s how they reacted:
What an idiotic thing to say!
— ernie.b. (@erniebugtweet) December 12, 2024
“He’s not a good coach,” said one fan.
Another fan added, “Yay, he threw 2 picks and 0 TDs instead of 4!!! Round of applause for $180 million Ridder,” comparing Cousins to 2023 starter Desmond Ridder, who is now with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Ain’t no way🤦🏾♂️Raheem out here sounding like a defensive mom who tryna make you feel better when you mess up https://t.co/FGPEppi2jq
— HIMJ🥷🏾✊🏾 (@HimJ1122) December 12, 2024
“This man is a veteran and one of the higher-paid QBs in the league. This shouldn’t be a ‘win,'” wrote one fan.
“This kind of assessment is why he shouldn’t have been hired in the first place and only exacerbates the notion he is simply not head coach material. His past record shows it,” said another fan about Morris.
I tried to get on board with Morris. I'm done. https://t.co/gt0htxD2is
— 🏈 FalconFanTC 🏈🇺🇸™️ (@FalcFanCoulborn) December 12, 2024
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons this offseason, and considering his salary, he has been a huge disappointment. In 13 games, he has thrown for 3,396 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions, completing 67% of his throws with a passer rating of 89.0.
Cousins has already surpassed his single-season interception record, and he still has four games left. The Achilles injury he sustained last year has seemingly impacted his poor form, but the fans do not care about that as they want results.
Atlanta no longer has the best record in the NFC South and is in danger of missing the playoffs. As a result, the fans have also vouched for Michael Penix Jr. to replace Cousins.
The Falcons have a favorable schedule left and a good enough shot of winning the division. But if things do not improve, the franchise will be forced to make some tough decisions in the offseason.
Morris Addresses Speculations Regarding Michael Penix Jr.
The Falcons surprised everyone by drafting Penix with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The franchise planned to let the Washington product sit and develop behind Cousins, similar to what Jordan Love did in Green Bay.
But since Cousins has not played like Aaron Rodgers did during his multi-MVP run, there is an urgency to give Penix an opportunity. Morris has shut down that narrative as he thinks the time is not right for the rookie to start.
“I told you right from the beginning, he’s our future,” Morris said, per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “To be able to have the respect, to be able to have the confidence, to be able to have the wherewithal to support Kirk and all this stuff, too, it’s a great learning lesson for him as well.”
“So, when you go through all that process, you can look at different organizations [that have] pulled the trigger and put guys out there too early, and it’s gone terrible, and I don’t want to be that guy.”
Rushing a young quarterback into playing can be detrimental to their confidence. This is a big reason why the Falcons are patient about their quarterback situation and want to give Cousins more time. The four-time Pro Bowler is vastly experienced and should be able to find his way out of poor form in the upcoming game against the struggling Raiders.