Spartan Great Receives Another Massive NFL Honor Amid Tear
Some quarterbacks age like milk, others like wine. Former Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousin has definitely been in the latter category.
Cousins, in his 13th NFL season, has been nothing short of dominant in 2024. He just received his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week recognition as an Atlanta Falcon after completing 23 of 29 passes for four touchdowns and 276 yards in a 31-26 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cousins earned the honor earlier this season when he torched the Buccaneers on Oct. 3 for 509 passing yards. This season, Cousins has 2,106 passing yards and 14 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
One of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league, Cousins has been one of the most successful Spartans to ever grace the NFL. He has led two different franchises to playoff berths and he is a playoff winner at that.
The chances he brings the Falcons to the playoffs this season are very high, as they have beaten their only competition for the NFC South, Tampa Bay, twice. They've also taken down Carolina and New Orleans, two vastly inferior teams, as well.
Of course, the Spartans are more than familiar with Cousins' abilities. During his career at Michigan State, Cousins went 3-0 against bitter in-state rival Michigan and won key games like the 2011 shootout with Wisconsin that ended in the "Rocket" play, as well as the "Little Giants" Notre Dame win.
Cousins is the Spartans' all-time leader in passing efficiency. He is the program leader in passing completions, with 723, as well as second in career passing yards, with 9,131 (when he graduated, he was the all-time leader). He is second in passing touchdowns with 66.
Dan Pizzuta of 33rd Team has Cousins ranked as the No. 11 quarterback in the league.
"By EPA per play, 2024 (0.11) is tied for the second-best first eight weeks of a season in Kirk Cousins’ career as a starter," Pizzuta wrote. "It’s tied with 2016 and 2020, behind only 2019 (0.25). This is remarkable given the current situation -- he’s 36 years old, returning from an Achilles tear, and he can’t really move that well. Considering how the season started, to be here is impressive. Cousins rebounded from a poor Week 7 to have his highest success rate and yards per attempt in a game this season. He’s got the formula down.
"The Falcons are still leaning into the pistol looks, with Cousins getting the ball out quickly. He’s been decisive and accurate with a continued growing connection with Drake London. Getting Kyle Pitts involved, as he was with two touchdowns against Tampa Bay, could raise the ceiling of the passing offense even more."
Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.
Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
