Kirk Cousins, Falcons fail to adjust offense in win against Raiders

Kirk Cousins broke his touchdown drought, but his performance didn’t instill confidence in the Atlanta Falcons (7-7) in the passing offense.

The Falcons defeated a listless Las Vegas Raiders 15-9 on Monday night, ending their four-game losing streak. But the win came with another lethargic performance from Atlanta’s passing game.

Cousin was inaccurate at times and was late on several throws. The experienced quarterback completed 11 of 17 passes for a season-low 112 yards, along with one touchdown and one interception. The Falcons had 84 passing yards in the first half and just 28 passing yards in the second half. Luckily for the Falcons, running back Bijan Robinson and the team’s offensive line controlled most of the battle on the ground. Robinson gained 125 of the team’s 168 rushing yards.

Atlanta’s rushing attack coupled with the Raiders’ ineptitude masked Atlanta’s deficiencies in the passing game.

“He has to play better. Of course you have to go back and look at everything. He wants to play better. He has to play better. “We have to find a way to get him to play better,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said after the game against Cousins. “We get to work (Tuesday) and this is part of our process. They go and watch the tape and discuss it with the people it is supposed to be discussed with. We bring all the coordinators into the room. We talk to everyone. We have to play better at the quarterback position.”

NFL STATISTICS CENTER: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Cousins threw his first touchdown pass since Week 9. The 36-year-old quarterback has zero touchdowns and eight interceptions in the last four games. Still, Cousins’ 112 passing yards were his lowest total since Week 11 of last season, when he was the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback.

“I think I have to play better. I don’t think this is a mystery. I think in the last few weeks I would say I need to play better. Raheem says it, but it states the obvious,” Cousins told reporters. “Every week you kind of go through your process and plan to go out and play the best you can.”

In 14 games, Cousins has failed to live up to the four-year, $180 million contract the Falcons signed him in the offseason. Cousins’ 16 interceptions are an NFL high and he currently has the lowest passer rating in a season in which he has started at least eight games. His play has rightfully raised questions about whether the Falcons should start rookie Michael Penix Jr.

Perhaps Cousins is now looking over his shoulder at Penix, whom the Falcons drafted No. 8 overall in free agency less than 50 days after signing the veteran QB.

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato

Kirk Cousins, Falcons fail to adjust offense in win against Raiders

Leave a Reply Cancel reply