How Falcons will change offense for Michael Penix Jr. after benching Kirk Cousins
12/22/2024 11:26 AM
After just 14 subpar games, the Falcons made the decision to bench Kirk Cousins in favor of the 8th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Michael Penix Jr., a 2023 Heisman Trophy finalist and presumptive future face of the franchise in Atlanta. The move comes at an interesting point in the season, as the 7-7 Falcons are very much in the mix for a postseason berth, yet they’re willingly turning the car keys over to a rookie who has just five regular season pass attempts to his name.
Now in fairness, you could say that Kirk Cousins forced Atlanta’s hand with a disastrous five week stretch in which he threw just one touchdown to nine interceptions as the Falcons went from 6-3 to 7-7 as fast as you could say, “You Like That?” Even still, making the change to Penix does not come without risk, as Atlanta will need to tailor their offense to the big-armed lefty in a short period of time ahead of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.
But that doesn’t mean that Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and his staff in Atlanta isn’t up to the challenge, in large part because they’ve been preparing Penix for this moment all year long, and they believe, “mentally, he is ready.”
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, since the preseason, Penix has been practicing with the same listening device in his helmet as Kirk Cousins, allowing the rookie to, “get his mental reps that way, run the scout team, but then go back and watch the film of what Cousins has done and go through it himself.”
Additionally, there will be changes on Sunday in how Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson calls the game with Michael Penix Jr. in at quarterback as opposed to Cousins, who hasn’t displayed the arm strength this season he once showed in Minnesota prior to a season-ending achilles tear in the 2023 season.
“While they’ll likely focus on core plays he likes and knows well, expect an attempt at more deep throws and big plays. There will also likely be more play-action,” Rapoport writes. “Atlanta loved Penix’s arm talent in the pre-draft process, and viewed him overall as a prospect near Jayden Daniels’ level. They expect big things, and from those who have observed practice, players can feel the optimism, too.”
This could end up being the move that saves Atlanta’s season, but even if it is, it will raise the question as to why it took Raheem Morris and co. so long to pull the trigger on benching Cousins for Penix.
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