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Kirk Cousins Debut with Falcons Did Not Go Well
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Kirk Cousins Debut with Falcons Did Not Go Well

Originally posted on Minnesota Sports Fan
By Ted Schwerzler  |  Last updated Sep 9, 2024 12:37 PM ET
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The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their regular season on Sunday with a win . Sam Darnold looked great. Kevin O’Connell had his team rolling and vibes are high in Vikings Territory. The same cannot be said about former Minnesota signal caller Kirk Cousins and his Atlanta Falcons.

A forgettable start for former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins

To say things went poorly for Kirk Cousins out of the gate would be putting it lightly. He looked every bit the mediocre quarterback he is so often chided with being. The Atlanta Falcons lost 18-10 against a Justin Fields-led Pittsburgh Steelers thing. It certainly wasn’t the start anyone wanted to see for the $180 million man. The Athletic’s Mike Sando definitely took notice.

“New quarterback Kirk Cousins was in the pistol formation 26 times, a career high for him. Cousins was in the pistol just 108 times previously in his career, per TruMedia, with 96 of those snaps stemming from his long-ago seasons with Washington. The Falcons, 18-10 losers to Pittsburgh at home, ran the ball 21 times in those 26 pistol snaps. They rightfully were worried about exposing Cousins to injury against all-world Steelers pass-rusher T.J. Watt . Falcons coach Raheem Morris said getting the play call into the huddle late contributed to a fumbled exchange. Whatever the case, this was not the debut Atlanta sought. “

Mike Sando on Kirk Cousins’ Atlanta debut (The Athletic)

Cousins is dealing with a new play caller in Zac Robinson. He very clearly isn’t Kevin O’Connell, but even still, the Falcons saw their quarterbacks limitations on full display. Robinson will need to get more creative if he wants the best out of Cousins, but the former Vikings quarterback must show a heightened level of aggressiveness as well. It would probably be beneficial for the Falcons to think again about altering the entire process of a 36-year-old quarterback as they mold him into a scheme he doesn’t fit.

It was just one game, but the Falcons didn’t bring Cousins in to be mediocre. They have Super Bowl aspirations, but nothing we saw on Sunday suggests they are capable of getting that done.

Can Kirk Cousins turn it around for the Atlanta Falcons?

Sunday was Cousins’ first regular season game action since tearing his achilles against the Green Bay Packers. He no longer has Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson to throw to, and his road gets much more difficult. The Falcons head to Philadelphia this week before welcoming the Chiefs and Saints to Atlanta. Cousins won’t lead his teams to wins in any of those contests by replicating this performance.

Minnesota Vikings fans have seen Cousins get the job done, but he has to be put in much better situations. The playmakers Atlanta has aren’t of Minnesota’s caliber, but they aren’t lackluster either. Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson are all legitimate weapons. Cousins will need to find a rhythm with each and disperse the ball.

How he rebounds will certainly be worth watching on Sunday. The Falcons already drafted his replacement, but they probably aren’t ready to rip that band-aid off yet.

This article first appeared on Minnesota Sports Fan and was syndicated with permission.

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