After witnessing the Atlanta Falcons offense struggle for multiple weeks, the organization has finally did what many fans concluded weeks ago: Rookie Michael Penix deserves to play. He’ll get his shot.
Atlanta Falcons (7-7) are making a change at quarterback, replacing Kirk Cousins with Michael Penix Jr. as the starter for Week 16, the team announced Tuesday night.
“After careful consideration, we’ve decided that Michael Penix will be our starting quarterback moving forward,” head coach Raheem Morris said in a statement. “This decision is purely a football one, and our focus now is on preparing for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.”
The news follows the Falcons’ numerous struggles over the past month, including Monday Night against a hapless Las Vegas Raiders team.
Morris being asked about the team’s quarterback situation earlier in the day, where he emphasized the need for improved play at the position.
While the Falcons secured a 15-9 victory over the Raiders on Monday Night Football, their offensive struggles and lack of production overshadowed the win, which ended a four-game losing streak. Atlanta failed to reach the red zone despite good field position on several drives, and the team’s overall offensive performance has been a concern for weeks.
The calls to replace Cousins had grown deafening over the past few weeks, even as stalwart fans and insiders like Matt Ryan continued to make excuses for him.
Cousins, who led the NFL in passing yards earlier in the season, has struggled significantly since late October. Over the past five games, he has thrown nine interceptions—part of a total of 16 for the season, which leads the league. In that same span, he has thrown just one touchdown pass, and the Falcons have won only once.
“We haven’t played well at quarterback, and that’s been a big part of our struggles,” Morris said Tuesday. “We didn’t play well there on Monday either. I want to be transparent about it. There will always be questions about the head coach and the quarterback position. We have to be better. It’s as simple as that. We need to play better if we want to win against the Giants.”