The Atlanta Falcons are giving rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. a chance to save their season before it sinks any further.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Falcons are benching veteran Kirk Cousins in favor of Michael Penix Jr. This comes one day after Atlanta narrowly defeated a lowly Las Vegas Raiders team 15-9, with Cousins completing just 11 of 17 pass attempts for 112 yards, a touchdown and one pick.
The Falcons stunned everybody when they used the No. 8 selection of the 2024 NFL Draft on Penix Jr., as they had just handed Cousins a four-year deal worth $180 million a month earlier. Fast forward to Week 16, and now the rookie has a chance to show Atlanta they made the right decision after all.
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— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 18, 2024
The #Falcons are making a major change, as Michael Penix Jr is expected to take over at QB, with Kirk Cousins going the bench.
Atlanta is still in the thick of the playoff hunt, and Cousins has struggled mightily. Now, Penix takes over. pic.twitter.com/xTPLBovmOd
Cousins got off to a promising start in Atlanta, leading them to a 6-3 record that included a road win over the powerhouse Philadelphia Eagles and a season-series sweep of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But four straight losses, followed by a lackluster outing in Vegas, was enough for head coach Raheem Morris to make a change.
Michael Penix Jr. Gets A Chance To Play Hero
The Falcons are one game behind Tampa Bay with three weeks to go, but Morris’ group holds the head-to-head tiebreaker. Atlanta’s easiest path to the division is to win out and hope that the Bucs can lose one of their final three games.
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