If the Atlanta Falcons want to secure their first NFC South title since 2016, they must play better football than we’ve seen over their last three games. Kirk Cousins is going through arguably the worst stretch of his NFL career and must attempt to right the ship against his former team.
In Week 14, the Falcons will travel to Minnesota, where the 36-year-old spent the last six seasons. The Vikings attempted to re-sign Cousins in free agency but Atlanta offered a fourth year to seal the deal.
Minnesota hasn’t exactly struggled without the four-time Pro Bowler. Despite losing first-round pick J.J. McCarthy for the season, the Vikings have gone 10-2 with Sam Darnold under center.
Cousins and the Falcons got off to a hot start but the quarterback’s recent struggles have some fans calling for rookie Michael Penix Jr. to take over. The team is sticking with Cousins, and while not everyone thinks that’s the best move, Matt Ryan is on board.
“I look at what they’re going against this coming week in Minnesota playing against that defense with Brian Flores [and] all of the different packages he has from a blitz perspective, I think you’ve got to stick with Kirk,” Ryan said during an appearance on CBS.
The former Falcons quarterback has been a vocal supporter of Cousins, but he also left the door open for a potential in-game QB change if things go south early in Week 14.
“I just don’t think this is the week to do it for Michael Penix, but if it goes bad, you know, if it goes bad and it’s not kind of the first half that you want — I know Raheem has said he’s not going to make a change at this point — I think they’d be apt to make an in-game change.”
Ryan has been in a similar position and knows the pressure of playing quarterback in Atlanta. He went on to call the situation unfortunate for Cousins.
“It’s unfortunate because I think Kirk has been a really good player for a long time but he’s just really struggled the last couple of weeks.”