Kirk Cousins Rises Up NFL.com QB Rankings

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins gave a glimpse of what he's capable of in a 22-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, and NFL.com took note.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins moves up the QB rankings after engineering a game-winning drive against the Philadelphia Eagles. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons spent big on quarterback Kirk Cousins in the offseason. After signing him to a $100-million-guaranteed contract in March, they drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. No. 1 overall leading to several questions, not the least of which was Cousins health after Achilles surgery.

Week 1's bizarre showing against the Pittsburgh Steelers added fuel to the fire that Cousins wasn't completely recovered from his injury. His performance in the loss to the Steelers along with his lack of mobility and failure to drive off his back foot led to further scrutiny about his health.

After Week 1, Cousins showed up ranked 24th on NFL.com's quarterback index. Unlike PFF's shocking grade of Chris Lindstrom in Monday's win over the Eagles, Cousins's ranking had merit.

Is a healthy Kirk Cousins the No. 24 quarterback in the NFL? No, of course not. Was the Cousins we saw against the Steelers the No. 24 quarterback in the NFL? Frankly, 24 might have been generous.

Fast forward to Week 2, and Cousins was 20/29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns against zero interceptions and included a game-winning drive under two minutes. He had a 117.2 rating compared with 59.0 against the Steelers.

The entire game-winning drive from Kirk Cousins and the @AtlantaFalcons. #ATLvsPHI pic.twitter.com/7ms5Esas7b

— NFL (@NFL) September 17, 2024

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NFL.com's Nick Shook also took notice of a very different Cousins from Week 1 to Week 2 and moved Cousins up eight spots to No. 16 in his Week 3 QB Index.

"Through six quarters, Cousins didn't look very confident," wrote Shook on NFL.com. "The Falcons couldn't finish drives and their quarterback wasn't elevating the offense. Things started to turn in the second half against the Eagles when Cousins found Darnell Mooney over the middle for a41-yard touchdown.

"Then he led a wild, 70-yard drive in six plays, firing rockets down the sideline to move the Falcons deep into Eagles territory before connecting with Drake London for a go-ahead TD. Cousins seemed relieved afterward while admitting he's still not as sharp as he'd like to be, but for the first time this season, we all saw a glimpse of this partnership’s potential."

On the GW drive, the @AtlantaFalcons' Kirk Cousins:

completed 80% of his passes
threw for 70+ yards
threw for the winning TD

No other NFL QB in last 30 years has done that on a drive that began in the last 2 minutes, on the road, with his team needing a TD to erase the deficit. pic.twitter.com/oDOvd7oTLW

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 17, 2024

No. 16 is still too low for Cousins when he's 100%, but he's not 100% yet, and that's OK. He's on a new team, with a new play caller, coming off an injury.

"The more you're together, you're gonna improve," Cousins told reporters this week. "I completed a pass to Drake. It was not a good throw. He went down and got it, made a great catch. I went up to him right after the play and said 'Terrible throw Drake, what a great catch, good job bailing me out,' and his answer back was 'Kirk, we're just building this.'"

Cousins was impressed with the 23-year-old's maturity and exemplifies the team's trust in one another.

Like power rankings, a QB Index isn't going to win or lose games, and like power rankings, they reflect what has happened, rather than what will happen.

As Cousins, his coaches, and his teammates gel over the course of the 17-game season, the recognition will come with their progress.