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Just two games into the Kirk Cousins era in Atlanta, Falcons fans are ready to move on to Michael Penix Jr.
Cousins struggled in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, throwing for just 75 yards on 7-of-13 passing. He failed to find the end zone as the Falcons went into the half trailing 7-6, their only points coming on a pair of field goals.
He turned things around in the second half, mounting a game-winning drive to finish with 241 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 20-of-29 passing.
While Cousins’ second-half performance made up for his slow start, fans were ready for the Falcons to bring in Penix after the first half.
Some questioned the Falcons for drafting Penix so early, but if he took over for Cousins and had success, that pick could look like a smart one.
Penix was a star at Washington, throwing for 4,903 passing yards and 36 touchdowns while leading the Huskies to the national title game and becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist on the way. Whether his collegiate success will translate to the NFL level is to be determined, but he could get a chance to show what he can do soon.
While it was his first game back from a season-ending Achilles injury, Cousins had a horrible start to the season in Week 1. He had 155 passing yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on 16-of-26 passing as the Falcons lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Performances like Sunday’s won’t be enough to help Atlanta snap its playoff drought, and another bad game could result in the Falcons benching Cousins for Penix.