An up-and-down Falcons seasons ends with the Atlanta Falcons going 8-9, their most wins in a season since 2017, but only one more win than they have registered in their last three seasons, each of which ended with a 7-10 showing.
Let's take a look back at this wild ride of a season.
QB Play
Looking back at Week 1, Kirk Cousins was horrendous. Completing just 16 passes for 155 yards and throwing two interceptions with just one touchdown. The internet was clamoring that Cousins was still injured and that the Falcons had made a mistake in paying him the big bucks.
Well, it seemed as if Kirk Cousins heard the noise because he came out the next week firing. He completed 69% of his passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. Not only that, but he led a game-winning touchdown drive with under two minutes to go where he completed six of his seven passes for 70 yards and the score. He looked great.
The next week against the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, he looked good once again. Again completing 69% of his passes, he registered 230 yards and one touchdown, and one interception. The interception was inoppurtune and let the Chiefs score three right before the half, however, Cousins was not the reason the Falcons lost this game.
The following week against the Saints Cousins did not have the best showing. He completed 60% of his passes for 238 yards and had zero touchdowns and one interception. The interception was not his fault, and the offense as a whole struggled this game as they could not find the endzone once. Penalties killed the Falcons all game, with a holding penalty negating a touchdown and a false start killing a 4th-and-1 try. Overall, not a terrible game from Cousins.
Week 4 was the beginning of Kirktober, and what a beautiful month that was. Cousins completed 72.4% of his passes, for 509 yards, four touchdowns, and just one interception. Those 509 yards were the most in a game this entire season and the most in a game since Joe Burrow in 2021. This was the start of the Kirk Cousins swag-surfing era. An era that was short-lived but fun nonetheless.
Week 5 Cousins came back down to earth, completing 63.3% of his passes for 223 yards and one touchdown. However, Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier combined for 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns this game. Also, Darnell Mooney slipped and fell on what should have been a walk-in touchdown.
Week 6 Cousins was ugly. In the first half, he was fine, but the second half was abysmal as the Seahawks ran away with the game late. Cousins completed 68.6% of his passes for 232 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions (one of which bounced off London's hand, but the other was a very poor throw), and a fumble which was taken back for a touchdown.
Week 7 was the final stint of Kirktober, and it really did deliver. Cousins completed 79.3% (!) of his passes for 276 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He had just six incompletions all game and even ran for what should have been a first down to almost ice the game, but then Younghoe Koo missed the field goal.
Week 8 was the final good game of Cousins Falcons' tenure, statistically speaking. He completed 79.2% of his passes for 222 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Cousins was operating without Drake London for most of this game, but that was no problem, as he found Ray-Ray McCloud for his first and only score of the 2024 season in this game.
Week 9 Cousins was interesting. He had some awful throws, mixed in with some really good ones. He completed just 60.5% of his throws but had 306 yards. He did not find the endzone (the start of a long drought) and ended up throwing the game-losing interception. Cousins threw a dot on third and long to Kyle Pitts who ended up mossing Alontae Taylor and stood tall in a collapsing pocket to find Darnell Mooney at the one-yard line, but his interception in the waning minutes of the fourth is ultimately what sealed this game.
Week 10 Cousins was kind of just there. He completed 66.7% of his passes but had just 173 yards and one interception. He had a nice teardrop pass to Bijan Robinson out of the backfield and found Drake London for a huge completion on 4th down. Other than that he had a nasty interception, but honestly the Denver defense just stifled the offense all day.
Week 11: coming out of the bye Cousins had easily his worst game of the season. He completed just 61% of his passes for 245 yards but had four interceptions, including the game-losing one with less than a minute to play. His third interception of the game was disgusting. The Falcons had third and goal from the 13-yard line, down by four. At the worst case, they had a field goal to make it a one-point game. Instead, Cousins forces the ball to the back of the endzone where it is intercepted. On replay, one can see that Bijan Robinson is wide open in the flat for what is essentially a walk-in score. It was at this point where Raheem Morris should have benched Cousins and given Michael Penix Jr a chance to get the game-winning drive. Instead, Cousins goes out there and throws another interception.
In week 12 Cousins puts up another bad showing. He completed 62.2% of his passes for 344 yards and two interceptions. It honestly should have been three interceptions with Cousins throwing a terrible placed ball on third and long which London had to wrestle away from the defender.
Week 13 Cousins finally found the endzone again, but it was too little too late and he had yet another terrible interception. Cousins had just 112 yards this game and it would ultimately be his last start.
Overall Cousins played good football. Weeks 2,5,6,8,9 were all fun, Weeks 3,4,10, and 11 were mediocre QB play. Weeks 1,13,14,15 were horrendous QB play. However, it is just not true to say that Kirk Cousins played bad football outside of the two Buccaneers games. However, it is funny that Cousins gave the Falcons a 6-3 record and swept the Buccaneers and then also ruined the Falcons' playoff chances right after that. Live by the sword, die by the sword.