Nov 17, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) warms up before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images.
Remember those one or two Minnesota Vikings games per season where Kirk Cousins just couldn’t do anything right?
The Atlanta Falcons, Cousins’ 2024 team, experienced that on Sunday.
The Denver Broncos flogged Cousins’ Falcons, defeating the NFC South leader by an overwhelming score of 38-6, sending the Falcons coaching staff and team captains searching for answers.
Cousins dimed 18 completions on 27 passing attempts for no touchdowns and an interception. He found no rhythm while Atlanta converted just 4 of 13 third downs. The Falcons had a decent two-game cushion and lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers entering Week 1, but that shrunk to 1.5 games, and the Buccaneers will soon welcome back future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans. Atlanta should start feeling the footsetps if it hasn’t already.
Rookie signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. replaced Cousins late in the contest if only to keep Cousins uninjured in garbage time.
The ex-Vikings quarterback said about the performance, “There’s no magic formula, but I think having conversations this week is important. What are we doing well? What are we not doing well? How do we fix it? Those are important questions to ask, but the answers are even more important as to how you fix it. That’s to be determined.”
Falcons skipper Raheem Morris told reporters, “The whole game was about physicality and effort and they out-physicaled us, they out-efforted us. They absolutely won the game. They talked about that early in the game and what it takes, and it was being your very best when your best is required. We were not that today.”
Morris, a first-year coach, also opined, “Not one game will ever define you. This one game won’t define us. I know this team will bounce back. It’s obviously a tough day for those guys. It’s a tough day for the organizations, a tough day for the coaches. But this organization is built on tough people. Our leader and general (team owner Arthur Blank) is sitting right there, and he’s ready to deal.”
The next 2-3 weeks are the other nauseating part for Cousins, Morris, and the Falcons. In Weeks 13 and 14 (after a Week 12 bye), the Falcons play the Los Angeles Chargers and — you guessed it — the Vikings, teams with the league’s fourth-best and very best defenses, per EPA/Play, respectively. You read that right: Atlanta must fix its offensive woes after the bye versus two Top 5 defenses.
Thankfully for Cousins’ sake, he usually only produces 1-2 awful games per season, and with the blunder in Denver, plus Week 1 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, he may have the gaffes out of his system.
It’s also worth noting that the Falcons’ defense ranks 24th per EPA/Play. Not ideal.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.