The Falcons went into their Week 10 game against the Saints leading the division at 6-3 and looking poised to end the franchise’s six-season playoff drought (now seven). But from that loss to New Orleans, something went terribly wrong for Atlanta, and it was clear that Kirk Cousins wasn’t right.
From Week 10 until his benching after Week 15’s win over the Raiders, Cousins threw one touchdown to nine interceptions. He was brutal, and everyone watching could see that he wasn’t the same player who led the Falcons to that 6-3 start.
It turns out that Cousins was indeed hurt.
Speaking to NFL Network on Tuesday, Cousins said that he injured his shoulder against the Saints and never could get it right after that. Now, the Falcons likely avoided discipline from the league by listing Cousins on the Week 11 injury report, but he wasn’t listed in the subsequent weeks. Notably, the Falcons did need to forfeit a pick for a tampering violation in signing Cousins.
Kirk Cousins says he was dealing with a shoulder & elbow injury after the #Falcons loss to the Saints.
That loss kickstarted the losing skid for Atlanta which ultimately led to Cousins’ benching.
Raheem Morris said at the time it wasn’t injury related. pic.twitter.com/T3YxBx9Gg0
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) February 4, 2025
Still, if the Falcons knew that Cousins was hurt — or at the very least, not confident in his shoulder — why would they continue to play him as the division lead slipped away? There’s really no excuse beyond trying to avoid giving the keys to Michael Penix Jr. amid Cousins’ contract.
The Falcons ultimately did go with the rookie quarterback in Week 16. But given Cousins’ explanation, it was a move that should have happened far sooner.
