Kirk Cousins had a terrible day, and the rookie got a few game snaps.
In what should have been surprising to no one, rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. took over for a struggling Kirk Cousins as the Falcons trailed the Seahawks 34-14 late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s matchup.
Cousins had a fumble and two ugly picks, and I think it was merciful (to Kirk and everyone watching) for the Falcons to get Cousins out of there and let their 2024 eighth overall pick get some game action.
Penix finished the game with one completion on one attempt, a 14-yard completion to Casey Robinson. Jase McClellan also rushed for 17 yards on five carries on that final series. The University of Washington product also got a warm welcome from fans of both the Falcons and Seahawks.
a warm seattle welcome for michael penix pic.twitter.com/IMGkEMeIMd
— kenz | nola n3!!! (@ohsohighschool) October 20, 2024
After the game, head coach Raheem Morris said he swapped Penix in for Cousins because the game was basically over.
“At that point, the game was out of hand. It was gone,” Morris said. “So we were able to sub all those guys and get them out. Made the mistake of putting Bijan [Robinson] in one play. Got him out of there and made sure we could substitute as many people as we could at that moment.”
I don’t think there’s a quarterback controversy brewing here or anything. I think Kirk will absolutely be the starter going forward. Today was definitely an ugly one for the veteran quarterback, but unless he makes this a habit or something goes horribly wrong, he’ll be Atlanta’s starter going forward.
I hope the next time Penix sees the field this season, it’s because the Falcons are blowing out the opponent instead of the other way around.