3 biggest winners of Falcons benching Kirk Cousins for Michael Penix Jr.

Numerous Falcons will benefit from the quarterback switch.

Atlanta Falcons v Las Vegas Raiders
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3. Bijan Robinson will have less focus on him

Teams have been keying in on the Falcons' best player in recent weeks. Defenses weren't scared of the passing game allowing them to put their effort in stopping Bijan Robinson.

Now, they will have to defend every blade of grass and every player on the field. Fewer eyes will be on Bijan from down to down.

Established tendencies will also be broken. Since Week 4, the Falcons ran the ball over 80% of the time when lined up under center. With Penix, they can run bootlegs and play-action fakes forcing the defense to respect the field behind them. Suddenly, those edge defenders won't be so quick to collapse on the run game.

Bonus winner: NBC's viewership

Before the quarterback change in Atlanta, it was announced the Falcons, Commanders game in Week 17 was flexed to NBC's Sunday Night Football.

Initially, it was a matchup between superstar rookie Jayden Daniels and the struggling veteran Kirk Cousins. But now it will be a matchup of the No. 2 and No. 8 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft which is much more compelling for the average viewer.

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