The Atlanta Falcons limped their way into the bye week following an atrocious performance against the Denver Broncos over the weekend. Sunday’s 38-6 loss was hard to watch but should spark some changes for the team with an extra week to prepare.
In Week 11, Atlanta’s defense allowed 400 yards and five touchdowns while the offense managed just 226 yards and two field goals. Kirk Cousins passed for 173 yards and an interception before the team gave rookie Michael Penix Jr. a look in the fourth quarter.
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert, who spent his first three seasons on Atlanta’s practice squad, is a big fan of the team’s rookie signal-caller. Benkert posted on his Twitter account that if the Falcons want to make a deep playoff run, they should start Penix for the rest of the season.
If the Falcons want to make a deep playoff run, they need to play Penix the rest of the way and get the learning curve accelerated. https://t.co/9Wv7lqBn3n
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) November 17, 2024
While Cousins doesn’t have a great track record of postseason success, it would be almost unfathomable for the team to bench him this season. For one, the veteran quarterback has played pretty well for the most part (2,807 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, nine interceptions).
More importantly, the Falcons are still leading the division and it would be a head-scratching decision to make the change while the team’s first postseason appearance in six years is within reach.
Penix passed for 4,907 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the Washington Huskies last season. It was Penix’s second consecutive year with at least 30 touchdowns and over 4,500 passing yards.
Coming into the draft, most scouts considered Penix among the more pro-ready quarterbacks in the class. This was why many were puzzled when the Falcons selected the Huskies QB after signing Cousins to a four-year deal.
Still, we wouldn’t expect head coach Raheem Morris to make a change anytime soon.
