The Atlanta Falcons have made a major roster change – deciding to bench starting quarterback Kirk Cousins in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr., according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
With Atlanta in the midst of a playoff hunt – currently one game out of the lead for the NFC South – first-year head coach Raheem Morris has decided to hand the reigns over to the rookie out of the University of Washington.
Cousins has been struggling in recent weeks as his transition from Minnesota to Atlanta has not gone smoothly. With cries from the fanbase to make a change, Morris pulled the trigger and will now start Penix when the Falcons host the New York Giants this week.
It makes the Falcons’ decision to sign the 36-year-old Cousins in the summer look even worse now than it did at the time his contract was agreed to.
Cousins’ four-year, $180million deal was lambasted at the time the Falcons announced it – especially when considering that $100m of that was guaranteed money.
Now, with the first season of that contract not even finished, Penix has been inserted into the starting role at a time where the Falcons likely need to win out in order to reach the playoffs.
The Atlanta Falcons have made the decision to bench starting quarterback Kirk Cousins
In his place will step rookie signal caller Michael Penix Jr., who the team took eighth overall
Cousins currently ranks seventh in the NFL in passing yards (3,508) and 13th in completion percentage.
But his touchdown-to-interception ratio of 18-16 ranks horribly compared to other NFL starters, especially when it comes to teams in playoff contention.
The decision comes after Cousins’ thoroughly unimpressive performance against one of the league’s worst teams: the Las Vegas Raiders.
On Monday Night Football, Cousins only completed 11-of-17 passes for 112 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
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