With Michael Penix Jr. officially out for the season with a partially torn ACL, the Atlanta Falcons are forced to turn to Kirk Cousins for the rest of the way. Through months of trade rumors and speculation surrounding his future in Atlanta, the 37-year-old will finally receive another opportunity to start.
Given the circumstances of his return to the starting lineup, the quarterback transition is an absolute nightmare. The 3-7 Falcons have nothing to play for, no first-round draft pick in 2026, and a coaching staff who is pretty much as good as gone at this point. Cousins is the only one who stands to benefit.
And the worst part of this is that the four-time Pro Bowler will kick things off with a rivalry clash against the Saints. However, it's abundantly clear that if Zac Robinson couldn't even ignite this offense with Penix starting, then surely Kirk won't be the quarterback who manages to save his job.
Kirk Cousins will end up being the reason Zac Robinson gets fired
In his first season in Robinson's system a season ago, the Michigan State product threw for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and a career-high 16 interceptions just months removed from Achilles surgery.
The numbers aren't great, but then again, anyone who watches the Falcons knows Cousins has lost a step. And his Week 8 start against the Dolphins only confirmed that.
Moreover, the longtime Vikings signal-caller will face an even tougher uphill battle on Sunday. Traveling to the Superdome is difficult enough, but doing so in a Week 12 matchup that will see Drake London be inactive due to a PCL sprain is just kicking a frustrated fanbase while they're down.
While Cousins will be without his top pass-catcher in the Big Easy, it means that Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts are his top options in the passing game. The same Mooney who cost the Falcons the game in Week 11 with his drops and has yet to surpass 250 receiving yards on the season.
And Pitts is a looming free agent who has been practically invisible since Cousins' last start. This offense has been inconsistent enough this season, as they are are 27th in the NFL in points per game. Despite all of the talent this unit has, they couldn't even crack 20 points per game. That's sad.
And now it'll get even worse, as their new starter didn't even complete 50% of his passes after replacing Penix in the Week 11 loss. And given how much the fanbase has already turned on Robinson and this second-year coaching staff, Arthur Blank might be forced to make an incredibly difficult decision if the losing continues.