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There’s a saying in the NFL that there’s “no player more popular than the backup quarterback.”
That’s definitely true for the Atlanta Falcons. The team signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a lucrative contract in the off-season, but Atlanta also drafted Washington quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. with the 8th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Cousins entered the season as the unquestioned starter, but he was coming off a devastating Achilles injury last season. And it showed early in the season.
Cousins was clearly limited in his mobility, particularly in the Falcons’ first couple games.
Do the Atlanta Falcons have a quarterback controversy after rookie Michael Penix replaced Kirk Cousins in a blowout loss against Seattle?
(Getty Images)
Still, after starting the season 1-2, Atlanta rattled off three-straight victories over the other teams in the NFC South.
But the winning streak came to a screeching halt at home against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Seattle entered the half with a 17-7 lead, but Atlanta quickly cut it to 17-14 after the break. Then, the Seahawks scored again to move the lead back to 10 points at the start of the fourth quarter.
That’s when Kirk Cousins made a disastrous mistake. He took a sack, fumbled the ball, and then helplessly watched as the Seahawks defense scooped it up and took it back for a backbreaking touchdown.
On the next drive, with the Falcons in desperation mode, Cousins threw an interception that effectively ended the game. To be fair to Cousins, the ball hit receiver Drake London in the hands.
Cousins threw a second pick on the very next drive, his third turnover of the game.
On the next, and final, Falcons drive, Cousins did not come off the sideline. Instead, rookie Michael Penix Jr. entered the game and made his NFL debut in the blowout loss.
Falcons fans probably would have cheered when Penix entered, but most of them had already left the stadium. Can’t blame them for that.
Penix threw just one pass and completed it to Casey Washington for 14 yards.
But fans on social media had seen enough. They quickly started lobbying for the Falcons to replace Cousins with Penix for the rest of the season. Fans also complained about the team not giving Penix more chances to throw the ball.
It’s unlikely that head coach Raheem Morris is ready to turn the offense over to the rookie after one bad game, particularly after a three-game winning streak, but the patience of Falcons fans is already wearing thin.
