FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – When the questions first began to arise following the Falcons’ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13, Kirk Cousins’ conviction did not waver.

“This guy carried us,” head coach Raheem Morris said at the time. “This guy got us to the point where we are 6-6 and in first place in the division. Despite everything that happened today, we still have everything ahead of us. It’s up to us to get back on our feet and find a way to win football games and there is no better man than (No.) 18 to do that for us.”

Two games later, Cousins’ play was detrimental to the team’s mission to reach the postseason for the first time since 2017. His role as Atlanta’s starting quarterback was untenable.

On Tuesday night, after a 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders that shouldn’t have been as close as the final score suggested, the Falcons made the decision to name rookie Michael Penix Jr. their starting quarterback.

“We wanted to play better at quarterback and felt like we got a chance to play a little bit better,” Morris said Wednesday afternoon. “And if we can go out and play better quarterback, who knows what can happen?”

It was a move that seemed like a distant possibility just a few weeks ago. However, as the offensive continued to experience difficulties, particularly in the air, this became a necessity.

In the month of October, Cousins ​​was red hot. He threw for 1,242 yards with 10 touchdown passes, the second and third most among all NFL quarterbacks. His passing total of 109 was the eighth-highest in a single month as Cousins ​​made at least three starts as a full-time starter in his ten seasons.

Shortly after capping October with a four-touchdown performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week – for the second time this month.

In the following seven weeks, Cousins ​​threw four touchdowns against the Bucs and threw four interceptions against the Chargers, becoming a microcosm of his decline. After losing four of its last five games last month, the Falcons fell one game behind the Buccaneers in the NFC South standings.

“There is a standard that I have for myself, that the team has for me. Unfortunately, I haven’t met that standard consistently enough,” Cousins ​​said during his press conference on Wednesday.

Poor performances against the Chargers, Broncos and Vikings — three of the NFL’s best defenses — might be understandable, if not forgivable. His performance against the Raiders fell short and ultimately led to the current situation.