After dud in Falcons debut, questions arise about Kirk Cousins' health

Some are wondering if Cousins is healthy enough to start after his Week 1 struggles.

Sep 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) strips the ball from Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Would the Vikings have mauled the Giants with Kirk Cousins the way they did with Sam Darnold? Probably, but that's because the Giants look that bad. But whether it was Week 1 jitters or nerves about playing for the first time after tearing his Achilles, it wasn't the same Kirk Cousins in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon.

Take this from Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports columnist Mark Bradley: "Behind their new QB1, for whose services they paid $180 million while bending NFL rules, the Falcons generated these second-half totals: Three first downs. Fifty-one yards. Zero points."

Those are the statistical facts. Now for the opinions...

"Kirk Cousins will have better days," Bradley wrote before adding in parenthesis that "If he doesn’t, he’ll be the worst signing in the history of professional sports."

Cousins finished 16 of 26 for a measly 155 yards and two interceptions. He was sacked twice and his ability to move, which was limited naturally before he tore his Achilles, was obviously even more of an issue in Week 1.

"The Falcons were clearly game-planning for a Kirk Cousins who was not 100% healthy," opined NFL analyst Doug Farrar. "No play-action at all. All straight dropbacks. 24 of 25 attempts from the pocket. There was a label on QB1 that said DO NOT SCRAMBLE. Not one pass attempt from under center."

Damien Woody, the former NFL lineman who works as an ESPN analyst, doesn't think Cousins is fully recovered from his Achilles tear.

"When I saw that he spent almost every snap in shotgun or pistol, that was a telltale sign to me because even in the run game under center, you still gotta plant and get back and hand the ball off to the running back. He can't even do that," Woody said. "The guy is not healthy. That's a bad sign to me."

If it's not his health, maybe it's just a matter of getting comfortable in first-year offensive coordinator Zac Robinson's offense? Or maybe Cousins just needed a game to get the feel for playing again? Maybe Pittsburgh's relentless pass rush was just too much to handle?

Whatever it is, the Falcons are in serious danger of seeing their season fall off a cliff because they are 0-1 with the Eagles up next and the Chiefs on deck. Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, the Vikings have found the blueprint for success under Darnold and they have an opportunity to put the league on notice when they host the 49ers in Week 2.