Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris was largely noncommittal Tuesday when asked whether Kirk Cousins ​​will be the team’s starting quarterback for Sunday’s home game against the New York Giants.

The Falcons defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 15-9 on the road on Monday Night Football, ending their four-game losing streak. But Cousins ​​once again didn’t look like himself. He was 11 of 17 for 112 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Cousins ​​has nine interceptions in the last five games, scoring just a single touchdown.

“We just got back (to Georgia), man,” Morris said during a virtual press conference when asked if Cousins ​​will start against the Giants. “We still have to go through this whole process like we always do. Obviously we’ll come back (early Tuesday morning) and get a big win. …There is no secret. We didn’t play well enough (at) the quarterback position, and we have to find ways to play better.

In recent weeks, Morris had been adamant that Cousins ​​would be the team’s starting quarterback going forward. Not so on Tuesday.

The Falcons selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as the team’s quarterback of the future with the eighth pick in April’s NFL draft.

Asked if there was still a feeling within the organization that Cousins ​​was the quarterback who gave the Falcons the best chance to win, Morris replied: “That’s a tough question.”

“We didn’t play particularly well at the quarterback position,” Morris said of the game against the Raiders. “We didn’t play well at this point yesterday. I like to be open and honest and clear about these things, and there have always been these question marks…when it comes to the head coach, when it comes to quarterback, and you have to be really transparent, and we have to play better. And I think that’s the thing that needs to be addressed, that we need to play better.

Cousins ​​didn’t throw a first down in the first half on Monday night, the first time in his 13-year career. He threw a first down to open the second half, which led to an interception by Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane. Running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier combined to score 34 runs, which accounted for the majority of the team’s offense.

After the game, Cousins ​​said he needed to play better and that Morris, who said the same thing in the postgame press conference, stated the “obvious.”

Cousins, 36, completed 64.7% of his passes with 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, the most in the league. He also has 12 fumbles, tied for the most in the NFL with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Cousins ​​is recovering from a torn right Achilles tendon injury that ended his season in Week 8 of 2023. The Falcons signed Cousins ​​to a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason. About $100 million of that is guaranteed, although most of that money will be off the books by 2026.

When it comes to playing Penix, Morris said the Falcons are “being really smart and careful when it comes to our business,” but he doesn’t necessarily think there’s a downside to playing him at this point.

“You could never say there’s a downside to handing it over to someone you’ve invested a lot in, someone you brought here, someone you’ve done some things with, someone who hasn’t said anything other than the “I’ve done the right things since they got here,” Morris said of Penix.

Morris said he needed to “stand firm” and make the best decision for the team’s future. At 7-7, the Falcons are still fighting for a playoff spot despite a four-game losing streak that has knocked them out of first place in the NFC South.

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) projections, Atlanta has a 29% chance of making the playoffs and a 20.7% chance of winning the NFC South.

“You’ve got to win and like I said, man, we’re going to do our best to win as many games as we can this season,” Morris said. “And that’s just our job.”