We have seen a former Falcons quarterback beg the team to make a quarterback change and Matt Ryan comment on when he believes his former team would make the big change. These talks are warranted considering how stale Kirk Cousins has looked these past two games.
Nevertheless, it doesn't matter what any of us think, it only matters what Raheem Morris and the offensive coaching staff think.
How long could we expect the current starting QB's leash to be? Let's take a deep look at the truth of the situation.
Falcons aren't likely to make a QB change anytime soon
The headline spoils the party; don't expect any change. The Atlanta Falcons are in the thick of a division race partially thanks to the play of one leader, Kirk Cousins. That shouldn't be lost on anyone, he has played well for much of the season and the Falcons have a lot invested in him.
It would take an absolute meltdown for Michael Penix Jr. to get a start in a meaningful game.
Raheem Morris, Zac Robinson, and the rest of the staff came into this season with one plan in mind: Kirk Cousins will lead the team while Penix develops behind him. Two games won't change that plan, especially after we have seen Cousins light it up in numerous games—none better than his 500-yard performance against Tampa Bay.
The offense has spent way too much time developing cohesion and trust with the current lineup to just throw it all away after a few rough games. That is something fans often don't take into consideration. These offensives work in units for much of the year so Penix doesn't have much experience throwing to the top playmakers.
This franchise also has $180 million invested in Cousins. Benching him would be admitting to the world that they made a massive mistake that would go down as one of the worst free-agent signings in NFL history.
We aren't exactly in a Daniel Jones situation. The highly-paid Jones had a massive leash before he was benched and released. Teams don't want to admit quarterback mistakes after a few games.
All in all, Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons for the remainder of the season—barring injury or a meaningless game.