The Atlanta Falcons made a shocking move on Tuesday night. Atlanta decided to bench quarterback Kirk Cousins for rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. ahead of the Week 16 matchup against the New York Giants (2-12).
The Falcons are 7-7 this season and are trying to catch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6) for the NFC South Title. This season, Cousins has completed 66.9% of his passes for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Reacts To the Atlanta Falcons Benching Kirk Cousins In Favor Of Michael Penix Jr.
On Wednesday morning on First Take on ESPN, Stephen A. Smith and Jeff Saturday of ESPN discussed the Falcons benching Cousins for Penix Jr. This was a shocking move made by Falcons head coach Raheem Morris. Smith said about the Falcons making this quarterback switch:
“Either [Kirk Cousins] is injured and they know more than we do, or Penix is lighting it up in practice.”
This is an interesting comment. Cousins has not been healthy at points during the 2024 NFL season. Is the injury causing his bad play or is that he has not played well and it was just time to hand the reigns over to the rookie quarterback?
Penix Jr. was drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Washington. It will be intriguing to see how well he plays on Sunday against the Giants.
Fans React
Go be great young brother Penix!! Exciting times in Atlanta!
— David Motu (@MOTU1754) December 18, 2024
Jeff Saturday hasn’t watched football in two months.
— Tracey Hickman (No Parody) (@fantasyblogging) December 18, 2024
Why would Kirk Cousins do something he has never done before? I never understood why the media thought he would make the Falcons a deep playoff team.
— hyperably (@Hyperbaly) December 18, 2024
Or it’s just time to make the move. Everyone knew it was going to happen. That’s why the Falcons drafted Penix Jr.
— Chris Hanover (@ChrisHanov39200) December 18, 2024
Or Kirk had lost them 4 of the last 5 and barely beat the raiders while throwing 8 int, this is the worst show on sports 🤡🤡🤡
— Ragnar (@cs_dametime) December 18, 2024
With Cousins moving to the bench, it will be interesting to see what the Atlanta Falcons decide to do with the 36-year-old quarterback in the offseason. There is no doubt that there would be a bunch of teams who would want to sign him. He also has a no-trade clause in his contract.
Kirk Cousins has three years remaining on his contract but it is hard to believe he would be with the Falcons next season. Penix Jr. is only 24 years old and he is also another first-round rookie quarterback to start in an NFL game this season.
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