Don't write off Kirk Cousins just yet despite his benching: Analysis

Kirk Cousins didn't forget how to play quarterback. He just didn't do it well enough often enough to keep his job in Atlanta.

Don't write off the veteran just yet.

There's no sugarcoating the way Cousins played over the past five games. He struggled mightily, throwing just one touchdown pass and nine interceptions in that span.

But this was the same guy who had 117.2 passer rating and led the Falcons to a comeback win on the final drive in Week 2 in Philadelphia in just his second start coming back from surgery for a torn Achilles tendon.

Cousins threw for 509 yards and four touchdowns against the Buccaneers on Oct. 3. He had four TD passes and a 145.9 passer rating in another win over Tampa Bay on Oct. 27. He followed that up with three TD passes and a 144.8 rating in a victory against Dallas a week later on Nov. 3.

Then came a terrible stretch. That prompted Falcons coach Raheem Morris to make the bold decision to bench Cousins for rookie Michael Penix Jr. in the middle of a playoff chase.

The Falcons lost four straight games, including three in a row against teams with tough defenses — Broncos, Chargers, Vikings — before beating the Raiders. Cousins only threw 17 passes, completing 11 for 112 yards, one TD and one interception in a 15-9 win in Las Vegas.

That wasn't good enough to keep him in the lineup.

Penix, the eighth overall pick in the NFL draft, gets a soft landing for his first career start. The Falcons (7-7) host the woeful New York Giants (2-12) on Sunday. Atlanta could win that game giving the ball to Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier 50 times.

Cousins will watch from the sideline as an expensive backup. The Falcons gave the four-time Pro Bowl QB a $180 million, four-year contract on the first day of free agency. Cousins got $100 million guaranteed with $27.5 million of that money still owed to him.

His contract, which includes a no-trade clause, complicates a pending divorce from Atlanta. Of course, Cousins is also just one play away from going back under center if Penix gets hurt.

If Penix stays healthy, this still isn't the end for Cousins.

Just two weeks ago, Morris was heaping praising on him.

''That guy has carried us,'' Morris said after Cousins threw four picks in a loss to the Chargers on Dec. 1. ''That guy has got us to the point where we're 6-6 and we're first place in the division. Still got everything in front of us, despite what happened today. It's up to us to bounce back and find a way to win football games, and there's no better man than (No.) 18 to go do that for us.''

Cousins turns 37 before the start of the 2025 season. He should still have plenty of football left in his right arm. He could veto any trade and force Atlanta to release him. If the Falcons designate Cousins a post-June 1 release, they would incur a dead-cap hit of $40 million. The Broncos took on a $49.5 million hit this season by releasing Russell Wilson.

''It's pro football. There's a standard that I have for myself, that the team has for me,'' Cousins said. ''Unfortunately, I wasn't playing up to that standard consistently enough. It is what it is. You roll with it. Now, you still get ready, one play away kind of a thing, and support Mike and just try to help our team be able to find a way to win these last three to get in the playoffs. That's what it's all about. That's my focus.''

Several teams will enter the offseason looking for a new starting quarterback, including the Giants, Titans and Raiders. The Jets and Browns, also could be in the mix.

Cousins isn't at a point where he should accept a backup job. There are too many mediocre quarterbacks across the league.

The NFL hasn't seen the last of Kirko Chainz.

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