Falcons' Raheem Morris Puts Kirk Cousins on Notice after Poor Outing vs. Raiders

After another interception and a season-low 112 passing yards against the Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins said he has to be better.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw an interception in his fifth consecutive game Monday at the Las Vegas Raiders. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins finally got the monkey off his back -- but the same troubles persist.

Cousins threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to receiver Drake London in the first quarter of Atlanta's 15-9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The score marked Cousins' first passing touchdown in 151 attempts, dating back to a victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 3. He tossed eight interceptions in the four games in between, all of which ended in losses for the Falcons.

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Yet while Cousins found the endzone and Atlanta returned to the win column, neither the 36-year-old signal caller nor Falcons head coach Raheem Morris were satisfied with the production under center.

"He's got to play better," Morris said postgame. "Obviously, you've got to go back, got to look at everything, but he wants to play better. He's got to play better. We've got to find a way to get him to play better. We'll get to work (Monday) and that's a part of our process.

"You look at the tape, review with the people that need to be reviewed with, get all the coordinators in the room, we'll talk with everybody. And we've got to play better at the quarterback position."

Cousins, who was informed during his postgame press conference about Morris's above comments, concurred with his coach's assessment.

"I think I need to play better," Cousins said. "I don't think that's a mystery. The last few weeks, I would say I need to play better. Raheem says it, but it's stating the obvious. Every week, you go through your process and plan to go out there and play the very best you can, and this week will be no different."

Cousins finished Monday's game 11-of-17 passing for 112 yards, one touchdown and an interception, which came on the first play of the second half. His yardage was not only a season-low, but also the fourth fewest he's produced across 159 NFL starts.

Cousins has now thrown an interception in each of his past five games, the longest single season stretch of his career. He's tossed an NFL-high 16 interceptions this season.

A 13-year veteran with four Pro Bowls under his belt, Cousins understands he can't turn the ball over as much as he has.

"I think it's always just decision-making so that you're not putting the ball in harm's way and not
trying to be too aggressive," Cousins said postgame about what he wants to improve moving forward. "And I think that's really the key: protecting the football."

Cousins dubbed his interception as "poor" and a part of his night he needs to eliminate. Still, the Falcons survived the Raiders' upset bid behind strong performances from the defense and special teams.

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson took 22 carries for a career-high 125 yards. He broke the 1,000-yard mark this season, the first time he's done so in his two-year NFL career, and he secured his 10th game this year with at least 100 scrimmage yards, the second-most in the league.

Between Robinson and fellow backfield mate Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta's running backs accumulated 168 of the team's 261 net yards, which equates to 64.4% of the overall offensive production. Cousins cited the Falcons' struggles on third downs -- they converted only 4-of-13 tries -- as a substantial hit to the pass game's productivity.

"It was an interesting game," Cousins said. "We got some third downs where we needed to convert
them. Whether it was a third and long situation, big zone drop-in, or a couple where we just didn't connect, but converting some of those third downs would have made a big difference in terms of staying on the field and being able to get a field goal or get points.

"And so, those plays loomed large in terms of leaving points out there. That's kind of how I view it."

The Falcons have scored only four offensive touchdowns in their last four games, and while Cousins broke his personal drought, his numbers from the last five contests -- one touchdown, nine interceptions -- leave much to be desired.

As a result, external calls for first-round rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. have grown louder. Morris didn't necessarily shut that door Monday night, but the Falcons are expected to remain behind Cousins moving forward.

"We've got everybody on our roster for a reason," Morris said. "We've got so much to get better at. Those things will always be discussed. That's just the nature of the beast in football. It's just so heavily talked about at the quarterback position because there's only one guy out there.

"Our mentality is to find a way to win the next game. That's just the mentality we're going to have."

Does Cousins give Atlanta its best chance to win at 1 p.m. Sunday against the New York Giants (2-12) inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium? That's up for Morris and his staff to decide.

But this much is clear: the Falcons have publicly acknowledged they're unsatisfied with Cousins's current level of play.