Kirk Cousins admitted for the first time today on Good Morning Football that he took a hit during the #Falcons Week 10 game against the Saints and hurt his right shoulder and elbow. That game was the start of Atlanta’s four-game losing streak.
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) February 4, 2025
One of the biggest storylines from the 2024 regular season involved the unexpected collapse of the Atlanta Falcons under newly-acquired quarterback Kirk Cousins. Things all went downhill in a midseason game with the New Orleans Saints.
After getting off to a hot start with a 6-3 record, the team suffered a four-game losing streak ultimately derailing their season. Cousins, who was benched late in the year due to poor performance, recently cleared the air about how his struggles down the stretch and how injuries potentially played a role in it.
Cousins, on Good Morning Football specified a hit that he took against the Saints in Week 10 that left both his right shoulder and elbow injured for the following weeks. Coincidentally, the Falcons would lose their remaining four games after their loss to the Saints with Cousins play taking a huge dip. It appears Cousins was injured on a big hit from Saints defensive end Payton Turner, who took advantage of a breakdown in protection to rush the quarterback.
From Weeks 10 to 14, Cousins finished with nine interceptions to only one touchdown in that span, with a total QBR of 34.7. One very rough stretch.
The Falcons front office and coaching staff has made it clear that the plan is to move on from Cousins as their starting quarterback but is willing to keep him on the roster as a backup. This however won’t be likely as Cousins will almost certainly seek a trade to find a home as a potential starter. Something else to watch is whether this results in penalties on the Falcons for misreporting his status on the injury report. Atlanta already lost a draft pick for tampering with Cousins in free agency last year. They could lose another one.
The Saints will see yet another new face at the quarterback position for Atlanta next season. Expect second-year passer Michael Penix Jr. to lead them out of the tunnel in 2025.
