FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — By no means is Kirk Cousins happy Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. sustained a season-ending knee injury.
However, that doesn't change the reality of the situation for Cousins. He has been tapped to be the Falcons' starter, a role the veteran filled for the majority of last season before getting benched due to performance issues in favor of Penix, then a rookie. Cousins must lead this 3-7 Falcons team into its Week 12 game against the 2-8 New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Caesars Superdome.
"Obviously got a good opportunity against the Saints this week," Cousins said. "But wanted to just acknowledge how tough the injury is for Michael. My heart breaks for him. He's someone who has handled adversity so well through his football journey, and unfortunately, he's having to do it again. But I'm very confident he has a lot of good football ahead of him. …
"And yeah, we're just looking forward to getting to go against the Saints and trying to get back on track here and get things going in the right direction."
Cousins has been in the NFL since 2012. He has experienced just about everything there is to experience in the league. He has been a backup. He has been a starter. Both for more than one team.
Just quickly: Cousins has appeared in 167 — starting 160 — of a possible 221 games. He has thrown 288 touchdowns and 126 interceptions. He has made the playoffs four times in 13 completed seasons.
That vast resume is a big reason the Falcons kept Cousins around even after they moved on to Penix as their starter. Regardless of the financial implications.
"There's 100% no doubt about that," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. "It was the whole purpose. I know there was a whole rush to move on and do all these other different things. But you're talking about a great human, you're talking about a guy you know can play."
Cousins was originally brought to Atlanta in hopes of being the Falcons' starter for a couple seasons before passing the torch to Penix. Cousins was the present. Penix was the future. At least that was the plan at the beginning of the 2024 season.
At first, things appeared to be going as planned. Cousins led the Falcons to a 6-3 record. He completed 69.2% of his passes for an average of 258.7 yards per game, with 17 touchdowns versus seven interceptions.
Things took a turn in Week 10 at New Orleans, when Cousins injured his right shoulder. The Falcons then went 1-5. Cousins completed 62.7% of his passes for an average of 236 yards per game, but with nine interceptions versus one touchdown.
"I remember D.J. Williams saying to me last year when I was on the scout team finishing the season, he said, 'I just didn't feel like you were having fun anymore late in your stretch before we made a change,'" Cousins said. "'I think it's important to make sure you're having fun even if the game goes tough, even if it doesn't go the way you want. You can still find joy in what you do on a daily basis. I believe if you do that over the long haul, you are going to get the best out of yourself and your teammates.'
"That's something I've learned, is to just say, 'Look, we've got to enjoy this. Regardless of outcomes, we've got to enjoy this, enjoy the challenge, enjoy the process of it. And then let the chips fall where they may.'"
That's all the Falcons can really do at this point. They're third in the division. According to the New York Times’ playoff simulator, they have less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs.
Cousins is at least a familiar face to this offense. It's perhaps the easiest transition possible given the less-than-ideal situation. The only major change from this season to last is Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson moving to the sideline rather than calling plays from the coaches' booth. That's going to remain as such moving forward, which Cousins supports.
"He's handled everything the right way," Robinson said. "He wants to play. So, he's getting an opportunity now."
