Falcons' Kirk Cousins offers support for Raheem Morris despite previous benching

With Atlanta Falcons second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. possibly sidelined for the rest of the season due to a left knee injury, veteran Kirk Cousins is on track to start against the New Orleans Saints (2-8) this Sunday. 

As ESPN's Marc Raimondi shared in an article published on Tuesday, Cousins recently offered his support for second-year head coach Raheem Morris amid what could be an awkward situation.

Kirk Cousins still views Falcons as "positive place" despite benching

"He's resilient," Cousins said about Morris. "He's built for this, and he is a glass-half-full person, and I think it makes it a positive place to come into work. And he's a coach that you want to win for, you want to play well for, because you feel like he is in your corner and he's giving you what you need to be successful."

Cousins signed a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M guaranteed with the Falcons in March 2024 before the club made Penix the eighth overall pick in that year's draft. While Cousins won six of his first nine starts with Atlanta last season, he was ultimately benched in favor of Penix when the Falcons were 7-7.

It's no secret that Cousins wanted to serve as a starter with a different club earlier this year. However, the Falcons declined to release him or trade him at what they considered to be a discounted price. He's now tasked with trying to keep Atlanta afloat through Week 18. 

"There's no magic formula," Cousins added about resuming his role as Atlanta's QB1. "You just get back to work and trust your training and you got to stay the course, believe that tough times don't last and tough people do, and that's all you can do."

In Week 8, Cousins started in place of a banged-up Penix against the Miami Dolphins. Cousins completed 21-of-31 passes for 173 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in a 34-10 blowout loss. 

Raheem Morris hopes Kirk Cousins can lead Falcons to wins

Along with Penix, Falcons wide receiver Drake London will likely miss at least the New Orleans game because of a PCL issue in his left knee. Atlanta's situation leaves Morris hoping that the 37-year-old Cousins can turn back the clock. 

"Kirk's been the guy that's been able to go out there and start a lot of games in the league," Morris explained. "He started a lot of games for us. He got us [off] to a nice start last year and now we've got an opportunity to sit back and watch and really grow and got to get him going this week, go out there and lead the football team."

As of Tuesday morning, ESPN BET had the Falcons as 2.5-point road underdogs against the Saints.