Falcons head coach Raheem Morris wasn’t ready to commit to a starting quarterback during his press conference Tuesday afternoon.
It didn’t take him long to make a decision. Hours later, the Falcons announced that rookie Michael Penix Jr. would take over as starting quarterback from Kirk Cousins. The No. 8 pick in April’s NFL draft, Penix will make his NFL debut Sunday against the Giants (2-12) in Atlanta.
“After review, we have made the decision that Michael Penix will be the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons,” Morris said. via a press release released by the Falcons. “This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”
Earlier Tuesday, Morris had this to say when asked if Cousins would start on Sunday:
“We just got back, man,” Morris said. via Marc Raimondi of ESPN. “We still have to go through that whole process, like we always do. Obviously, coming back late last night and getting a big win.”
It was less than 24 hours after a lukewarm offensive performance in a close win over a two-win Raiders team. But Morris hinted at his impending decision.
“There’s always going to be those question marks when it comes to the head coach, when it comes to the quarterback,” Morris continued. according to the Falcons team website. “And we have to be really transparent about it. We have to play better.”
Penix takes over with the Falcons fighting to make the playoffs at 7-7. They are on the outside of the playoff picture, but have a chance to rally for a playoff spot with remaining games against the Giants, Commanders and Panthers.
Until Tuesday, Morris remained steadfast in his support of Cousins.
“Kirk is our quarterback,” Morris said Dec. 9 after a Week 14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. “Kirk is the guy who’s going to lead us.”
Cousins threw two interceptions and no touchdowns in that 42-21 road loss to his former team. The loss to the Vikings ended Atlanta’s four-game losing streak that put them out of the NFC playoffs.
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Then came Monday night’s game. The Falcons held on for a 15-9 victory, but were unable to secure victory against a Raiders team with the worst record in the NFL until the final play of the game. Atlanta’s offense scored just one touchdown despite starting most of its drives in favored field position on a night when the Falcons defense forced a fumble near midfield and their special teams blocked two punts.
Cousins was inaccurate on several throws downfield and was dealing with mobility limitations that had plagued him since suffering a torn Achilles tendon last season. He finished the night completing 11 of 17 passes for 112 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Barring an unexpected return to the field, Cousins finishes his first season with the Falcons having completed 66.9% of his passes for 7.7 yards per attempt and 250.6 yards per game with 18 touchdowns and NFL-worst 16 interceptions in 14 games.
He joined the Falcons on a four-year, $180 million contract this offseason after playing six seasons with the Vikings. Two months after signing that deal with Cousins, Atlanta made the surprising decision to draft Penix eighth overall in April. The Falcons will now have the chance to see if their highly drafted rookie will pay off.
Penix has few reps in relief work and has completed 3 of 5 passes in two NFL appearances. He led one of the most potent offensive attacks in college football at Washington and will now have the opportunity to show how his talent translates to the NFL with the playoffs on the line.
