Falcons' Kirk Cousins Takes Major Tumble in NFL QB Rankings

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins dropped significantly on NFL.com's weekly quarterback rankings.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons were supposed to get better quarterback play from Kirk Cousins during the 2024 season. Maybe they still will, but that wasn't the case in the season opener. That's reflective in the quarterback power rankings from NFL.com's Nick Shook.

On Shook's latest quarterback rankings on September 12, Cousins came in at No. 24. That was eight spots lower than where Cousins stood on Shook's rankings before the first week of the season.

Only New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Los Angeles Chargers signal caller Justin Herbert fell more than the eight spots Cousins dropped on the rankings list.

"Well, that wasn’t great. You can blame rust for Cousins’ struggles in Week 1, but I’ll point to the disruption produced by Pittsburgh’s defense, which tallied 11 pressures (39.3 percent) and harassed Cousins all day," wrote Shook. "It’s not an excuse, it’s just a fact, and if you need more proof, spotlight T.J. Watt when you watch this one. He caused plenty of issues, which threw Cousins off track, and by the time some of those pressures closed in on Cousins, he was letting it rip almost out of self-preservation. That’s how he threw two interceptions on pressured attempts, which stopped Atlanta’s offense in its tracks.

"The Falcons only put together one quality drive, which ended in a Cousins touchdown toss to Kyle Pitts. The rest was largely a consistently frustrating experience, which surely isn’t how Atlanta saw its first game with Cousins playing out. Hopefully it proves to be an aberration."

It's important to note that Shook doesn't treat his power rankings based on future projections. It appears to be solely based on performance.

Knowing that, it's not surprising Cousins came in at No. 24 on the NFL.com's quarterbacks ranking list. Because yes, Cousins didn't play well in Week 1.

Neither did Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow, Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts or Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love. All three quarterbacks tumbled out of the top 10 on Shook's rankings.

Meanwhile, five new signal callers moved into the top 10 -- Baker Mayfield, Tua Tagovailoa, Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff. But that doesn't mean Shook thinks those five will finish the season in the top 10.

Cousins completed 16 of 26 passes for 155 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions in Week 1. I actually thought the best drive from the Atlanta offense was actually its first of the game, and not the possession that ended in Cousins' touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Pitts. But the Falcons were forced to settle for a field goal on the game's first drive.

Cousins will have the opportunity to bounce back, thus moving back up on Shook's quarterback rankings, on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.