ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons are turning to rookie Michael Penix Jr. as starting quarterback and bench veteran Kirk Cousins as they fight for their first playoff berth since 2017.
Penix, who grew up in Dade City, played at Tampa Bay Tech, Indiana and Washington before the Falcons selected him No. 8 overall in the NFL draft.
Coach Raheem Morris announced the decision in a statement Tuesday evening.
“After review, we have made the decision that Michael Penix Jr. will be the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons,” Morris said. “This was a football decision and we are fully focused on preparing the team for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”
The Falcons (7-7) ended a four-game losing streak with an ugly 15-9 victory Monday night in Las Vegas. Cousins passed for 112 yards with a touchdown – his first TD pass in five games – and an interception. The 36-year-old has thrown nine picks in the last five games and leads the NFL with 16 interceptions.
Atlanta signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason with $100 million guaranteed.
Cousins ended his touchdown drought with a 30-yard pass to Drake London in the first quarter, but had few other highlights against the dismal Raiders.
“It’s not where I want to be,” he said of his performance. “There is a lot of room for improvement and we would like to finish a lot stronger here in the last three weeks.”
The Falcons made the announcement about three hours after Morris told reporters he wasn’t ready to make a decision on this week’s starter.
“We talked about it last night,” Morris said. “You know, there’s no secret. We didn’t play well enough at quarterback and we need to find ways to play better. So, all these things during the week and we have to do everything best to win against the Giants.
The quarterback change comes as the Falcons are still in contention for the NFC South title. Atlanta is one game behind the division-leading Bucs, but the Falcons hold the tiebreaker advantage.
Penix only appeared in two games, completing 3 of 5 passes for 38 yards.
Penix was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2023, when he passed for 4,903 yards with 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for Washington.
Cousins is off to a strong start to the season, leading the Falcons to a 6-3 start and first place in the division. He completed 66.9% of his passes, which is exactly his 13-year career standard. He has passed for 3,508 passing yards, but has an unhealthy ratio of 18 touchdown passes to 16 interceptions.
Morris acknowledged it appeared Cousins’ confidence had been shaken by his recent struggles.
“I’m not trying to sugarcoat things for him,” Morris said. “He’s not trying to sugarcoat himself. …When you go through the stress that we’re going through right now, you’re not going to have the same confidence and the same swagger that you had in the first, two or three months, whatever it was, of the season. »
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By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Editor
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