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Raheem Morris Dismisses Any Talk of Benching Kirk Cousins Despite Recent Struggles

The quarterback threw four interceptions on Sunday vs. the Chargers as the Falcons lost their third straight game.

Madison Williams

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins looks to throw a pass.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins looks to throw a pass. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins had his worst game of the year on Sunday vs. the Los Angeles Chargers, throwing four interceptions in the 17–13 loss.

The performance was so rough that fans began calling for Falcons coach Raheem Morris to bench Cousins for rookie Michael Penix Jr. Given Penix has not seen the field much so far this season, was it time for the Falcons to see what they had in their rookie?

According to Morris, not yet.

"I don't think that's going to be the issue around here," Morris said when asked if Cousins would be benched. "That guy's carried us. That guy's got us to the point where we're 6–6, first place in the division. Still got everything in front of us, despite what happened today. It's up to us to bounce back and find a way to win football games, and there's no better man than 18 to do that for us.”

As for Cousins's performance on Saturday, Morris admitted they need to address what happened, but he isn't dismissing the quarterback's ability to perform well.

“We won’t make any excuses for them that happened today. That guy has carried us all season, he’s done such a marvelous job. It’s hard to throw that guy under the bus.”

Asked if he considered making a quarterback switch late in the game, Morris answered curtly, “No.”

Cousins has led the Falcons to a 6–6 start, but the team has lost its last three contests. Despite the team's recent struggles, Atlanta remains in the top spot in the NFC North above the 6–6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meaning the Falcons hold a playoff spot. Morris is right in that Cousins has led them to a playoff berth as of now. Cousins and the Falcons need to break their losing streak in order to hold that position.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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