Five takeaways from Atlanta Falcons week 1 loss to Pittsburgh
By Arkesh Ray
A few things are becoming clear after an ugly Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers
#1: Kirk Cousin's is clearly not 100%
Kirk Cousins, a primarily pocket passer, was forced to operate out of the pistol formation on Sunday. A head-scratching decision for a 13-year NFL vet.
Falcons have run every play out of the gun and have majored in the pistol.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) September 8, 2024
Really odd considering that Kirk Cousins has made his money in the NFL in the drop back and play-action game. Going to be interesting to see if that's the plan all year or if this is a one-off today.
It seems like the team is trying to protect their QB and not let him take what they deem as "unnecessary" hits. But now Cousins cannot play his best football, and what follows is a discordant offense that does not flow.
Watch his touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts. Kirk was never fast, but he looks abnormally slow here. Look how slowly he turns his body, and how slow he is to move off his spot. Watch how does not plant his right foot (his right leg was the one he injured) as he throws the touchdown to Pitts.
On top of that, the Falcons did not air the ball out once on Sunday, even when they were trying to drive 70+ yards at the end of the game. This would require Cousins to step up in the pocket, planting his right foot and throwing. Cousins attempted no passes where he planted his right foot, and had no throws where he had to put power on the ball.
Hopefully, this was just a one-off game and the Falcons were operating out of the pistol to minimize the effect of the Steelers linebacking core. If Kirk's injury is this bad, this will be a long season.