3 Winners (and 5 losers) in Atlanta Falcons miserable season debut

Loser: Kirk Cousins

Kirk Cousins does deserve grace only for the fact he isn't yet removed from tearing his Achilles. The quarterback didn't look comfortable in what semblance of a pocket that was given and made three brutal mistakes.

Cousins should have thrown three interceptions on the day. Each of the three throws was the quarterback forcing a play that wasn't typical of an experienced veteran quarterback. Cousins looked slow and unable to settle into the offense. While T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh defensive line is a big reason for this they weren't forcing Cousins to turn the ball over.

There were better options on the field or Cousins could have eaten a sack. You aren't going to win games when you are unable to create a turnover and give the ball away three times. It is easy to make the case that this should have been 4-5 takeaways with luck and a key penalty falling in Atlanta's favor.

It was about as ugly of a debut as you could have imagined for Cousins. With a Philly road game and a home game against Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes, it is hard to see things improving in the next two weeks for a veteran who needs time to settle into the offense.