4 Falcons under the most pressure in Thursday Night NFC South showdown

1. Kirk Cousins

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback had less than a week of peace after his clutch game-winning drive in Philly. In the two weeks since the frustration has grown, and portions of Atlanta fans continue calling for Michael Penix to make his debut. Kirk Cousins has brought a piece of this on himself by remaining among the league's highest-paid quarterbacks while being a good but not great franchise option.

Cousins has shown a lot of rust and a lack of trust in his receivers early in the season. Add in the four interceptions Cousins has tossed and this game continues the week-to-week narrative of how soon the Falcons could start considering Penix.

While the debate is silly when you consider how Penix would look in Zac Robinson's offensive system and more importantly the contract of Cousins it will continue. What the Falcons did by drafting Penix intentionally or not is turn up the heat incredibly on Kirk Cousins.

Outside of a win and playing at a borderline MVP level there is going to be some suggestion of Penix taking over and frustration with the veteran. Losing a key divisional matchup and falling two games out of first will only increase this.