Raheem Morris admits Kirk Cousins was rusty during Falcons debut because of not playing for so long

Raheem Morris believes Kirk Cousins' recent performance is not affected by health problems, but rather by a lack of playtime.

Raheem Morris admits Kirk Cousins was rusty during Falcons debut because of not playing for so long

Raheem Morris (inset) and Kirk Cousins (Images via AP)

On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons went down 18-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Georgia in front of the home crowd. Kirk Cousins, who made his debut as Falcons QB had no fun with either the results or the way the game went.

Cousins has been sidelined for some time now. He suffered a torn Achilles while playing for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8 last year. He didn’t appear for the rest of the season, and he was traded in the off-season to the Falcons. The contract, in itself, has been an annoying ride for him as there were allegations of tampering and investigations that had to be taken into account.

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Although he has only recently recovered from the injury, HC Raheem Morris doesn’t think that Cousins’ form is dented by his health issues. He stated that Cousins could not perform to his maximum due to “some rust” being out of the field for a long time now.

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Probably some rust...I feel like Kirk is healthy. He's been healthy since he's been here.
Raheem Morris said in the interview

The player had a dismal performance in Georgia, completing 16-of-26 passes for 155 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions overall. He just had nineteen passing yards in the second half of the game, which is a career low for him.

The plays called by the Falcons’ offensive coordinator also added to the injury arguments. Zac Robinson dictated plays where Cousins wasn’t right behind the center. As per Next Gen stats, They only did one single offensive play with Cousins in the center. Instead, there were 26 and 22 “pistol” or “shotgun” plays respectively.

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Falcons backup QB supports Kirk Cousins after poor Week 1

Falcons backup Michael Penix Jr supported the decision of the Falcons’ plays on Week 1 against the Steelers. Speaking to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, Penix said that Cousins was calm and collected throughout the game.

Kirk Cousins with Micheal Penix Jr
Kirk Cousins with Michael Penix Jr. (Image via Sports Illustrated)
We had a lot of things in our game plan that we wish we could have executed a little better, but it's never as good as you think, never as bad as you think once you go back and look at it. We left a lot of things out there, but we did execute a lot of things as well, more than a lot of people outside our facility could see.
Michael Penix Jr. said to Josh Kendall of The Athletic

The Falcons selected Penix Jr as 8th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, shocking many. They had just awarded a massive deal to Cousins and it was a deal many people questioned. However, this does give the Falcons an option to consider if Cousins doesn’t prove to show the mettle expected from him.

As of now, Penix shall remain as a backup QB since the team will not want to rush Cousins and replace him at the first hardship. However, the backup option will loom on Cousins to perform. The Falcons have a tough outing, meeting the Philadelphia Eagles, searching for their first win.

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