3 Atlanta Falcons players who are relieved Kirk Cousins has been benched

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3. Every offensive lineman not named Kaleb McGary

Kaleb McGary is now the blindside protector for Micheal Penix Jr. and the Atlanta offense. We are going to leave expounding on that for another time. However, it is obvious why we're leaving out McGary here. The rest of Atlanta's offensive line can breathe a collective sigh of relief no longer expected to maintain perfection.

Kirk Cousins has regressed not only as a thrower but his ability to move in the pocket. The lack of movement has always been a part of Kirk's game but it has gotten much worse. The quarterback would take the snap and stand in his spot scanning the field and double-clutching. There was zero fear from the defense that Cousins would leave his mark or break containment.

Rush four and simply let Cousins hold the ball or force a throw that is going to result in a big defensive play. All of this puts an incredible amount of pressure on an offensive line that understands the pocket must be completely clean. Cousins isn't going to bail you out and is likely to run into a sack if he attempts to move. Their ability to not be perfect and for their quarterback to buy them time to get back into position just changed this offense.

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