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NFL analyst tells Atlanta Falcons to ‘buckle’ up for more bad Kirk Cousins performances
By Andrew Buller-Russ,
2 days ago
Out of all the Week 1 performances, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins was among the very worst . When he was with the Minnesota Vikings , Cousins was often one of the NFL’s most accurate quarterbacks who spread the ball around to their top playmakers. Yet, in his Falcons debut, fans saw a different version of the four-time Pro Bowl QB.
Instead of Cousins propelling a bad Falcons offense to a good one, the 36-year-old coming off an Achilles tear looked like a statue who couldn’t move the chains. The Falcons’ 18-10 loss to Pittsburgh was ugly, but one NFL analyst thinks Cousins’ struggles were only signs of what’s to come.
Kirk Cousins wasn’t himself in Week 1, but Atlanta Falcons may have to get used to it
Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Out of the three times he’s debuted for an NFL team, Kirk Cousins’ first game with the Atlanta Falcons was by far the worst. Not only did Cousins win his starting debuts with the Washington Commanders and Minnesota Vikings, he also won the turnover battle while passing for two touchdowns each game. He failed on all three accounts in his Falcons debut.
Kirk Cousins stats (Week 1): 61.5% comp. rate, 155 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INT – Lost 18-10
Perhaps Cousins would have performed better had he not been facing former Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt. But it also didn’t help that the Falcons’ gameplan set their quarterback up to fail.
Recently, The Athletic’s Derrik Klassen highlighted all the ways Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson made mistakes with the Week 1 gameplan. One item that stuck out was how the Falcons spent 96% of their snaps in the shotgun or pistol formation. But the problem is Cousins thrives when executing play-action passes. Yet, the Falcons didn’t call a single play-action pass against Pittsburgh.
Was this done to try offsetting Mike Tomlin’s pass rush? Possibly. But Klassen believes it’s because Cousins is nowhere near 100% yet after his Achilles tear.
“Even little movements in the pocket were a struggle. His only throw on the move, in any capacity, was a freebie to a wide-open Kyle Pitts at the left side of the end zone. Cousins didn’t seem comfortable planting his back foot and driving off the ground to throw the ball, either. The refs could have placed a stool 5 yards behind center Drew Dalman, and Cousins would have played the same exact game.
There are always flukes in Week 1, but this does not feel like one. It’s hard to imagine Cousins just springing to life in Week 2 and looking like the guy who was one of the league’s most productive passers halfway through last season. I’d buckle in for at least another month of this.”
Cousins will need to play better in Week 2 to start living up to the expectations set when he signed his $180 million contract. His next chance comes in primetime for a Monday Night Football matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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