The truth is concerning, the Atlanta Falcons were waiting to see Kirk Cousins light up a terrible defense to justify keeping him as their starter.
Look at the facts, they didn't bench Cousins after four horrific losses but rather after an ugly win. That rarely happens in the NFL and it doesn't take a genius to realize why they made the decision now rather than a couple of weeks ago.
Falcons plan with Kirk Cousins was obvious and very concerning
Not being willing to make a franchise-changing decision because of optics is nothing new in the NFL. Every team has done it many times throughout their history but that shouldn't excuse it.
The Atlanta Falcons could've saved their division lead by making the bold move early. Instead, they tried to ride the train until justification hit the media square in the nose.
The Falcons didn't bench their quarterback after two no touchdown, one interception losses. They didn't bench him after a zero touchdown, four interception loss. They didn't bench him after a zero touchdown, two interception loss. But they benched him after a one touchdown, one interception win.
They were waiting to see him light up the Raiders poor defense. They gave him a pass against a good Saints defense and the great Broncos, Chargers, and Vikings defenses.
Excuses were exhausted when he could only throw for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Maxx Crosby-less Raiders. It took a poor performance against a terrible team for a move to be made.
If we want to give them a little credit, at least they didn't wait for poor stats against the Giants on Sunday. However, the question remains: Was this move made too late? It certainly seems so.