Atlanta Falcons Bench Kirk Cousins, Commit to Michael Penix Jr. as Season Dwindles

The Atlanta Falcons are making one last push to take the NFC South from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Nov 17, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) at the line of scrimmage in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The pressure has been on for the Atlanta Falcons as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won four games in a row since their bye week, and as the season comes to a close, they're making a big change.

The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal in the offseason, and after 14 starts, he's headed to the bench. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced on Tuesday that the team will be moving forward with quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who they drafted with the No. 8 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft despite signing Kirk Cousins earlier in the offseason.

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The #Falcons are making a major change, as Michael Penix Jr is expected to take over at QB, with Kirk Cousins going the bench.

Atlanta is still in the thick of the playoff hunt, and Cousins has struggled mightily. Now, Penix takes over. pic.twitter.com/xTPLBovmOd

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 18, 2024

Cousins may have performed very well in his two games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — he threw for 785 yards and eight touchdowns in just two games against them this year — but he's been quite poor outside of those two games, especially over the last few weeks. Cousins has thrown just one touchdown and nine interceptions, and he threw for just 112 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday in an ugly 15-9 victory. Now, the Falcons turn to Penix Jr., who threw for 36 touchdowns and 4,903 yards in his last year at Washington.

The move comes as a somewhat last-ditch effort by Atlanta, who is one game behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South standings at 7-7 and thus out of a playoff spot. The Bucs lost both their games to the Falcons, so Atlanta holds the tiebreaker, but Tampa Bay has gone on a huge four-game winning streak and dismantled the Los Angeles Chargers at home on Sunday to retain its division lead. The Bucs are currently in the driver's seat for the NFC South, so the Falcons are trying to avoid future losses by starting Penix Jr.

The Falcons will ease him into the role when the team hosts the New York Giants on Sunday. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay will try to extend their division lead against the Dallas Cowboys on the road in primetime.

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READ MORE: Buccaneers O-Line Was Big Reason For Win vs. Chargers in Week 15

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