With a prime-time win, Kirk Cousins ​​proves he is the Falcons' best quarterback option

On March 13, the Atlanta Falcons signed Kirk Cousins ​​as their flagship signing of the NFL offseason.

Just 43 days later, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent draft history by selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick. The 24-year-old Penix is ​​one of the oldest quarterbacks selected in the first round, so it seems imperative that he be on the field relatively soon.

On Monday night, Cousins ​​showed why Penix could sit comfortably on the bench for a while before finally being used.

In the game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night FootballCousins ​​and the Falcons trailed 21-15 with 1:39 left, no timeouts and 70 yards to go. After throwing for just 171 yards before the decisive drive, Cousins ​​made every yard count, capping it off with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Drake London for the 22-21 victory. Cousins ​​is now 13-20 in prime-time games.

Before the decisive march, Atlanta had only one explosive passing play (over 20 yards) on the night and only two all season. Cousins ​​​​made two in a row during the drive, finding free agent signing Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards, putting Atlanta in the red zone.

With the score tied at 1-1, both the Falcons and Cousins ​​appear to be heading in a new direction that seemed impossible before Eagles running back Saquon Barkley dropped a pass that would have decided the outcome just minutes earlier.

Cousins ​​is 36 years old and has just recovered from a torn Achilles suffered last October in Green Bay, and the doubts surrounding his future were and are real. In Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and most of Monday, he lacked the power he needed on his passes, struggling to push off as his back leg lagged instead of anchoring.

In the game against Pittsburgh, Atlanta only managed one touchdown and a total of 226 yards without ever being able to use play-action passes. Cousins ​​threw two interceptions and achieved an EPA of 0.317ranking 27th in the metric among Week 1 starters. The quarterbacks he beat? Bryce Young, Caleb Williams, Will Levis, Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones.

But the reality and feel of the young season changed in the second half on Monday. In the final 30 minutes in Philadelphia, Atlanta had four possessions (not including the final kneel) and scored three points, including two touchdowns.

For Cousins, it's a first step toward proving he's a solution in Atlanta. But in today's world, that's a question that will be asked weekly until it's proven beyond a doubt.

In six days, however, he will be back in prime time against the Kansas City Chiefs and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who lives for firing up quarterbacks with exotic blitzes. In the NFL, any glory is short-lived if you don't follow it up. If Cousins ​​struggles, the noise that preceded a highly improbable comeback in Philadelphia will rise again.

To that point, there are still legitimate concerns. Aside from the aforementioned unwillingness to play on the back foot at times, Cousins ​​is an aging quarterback who has already become a threat outside the pocket, rushing for 122 yards on 45 attempts over the past two seasons. If he is in any way prevented from scoring on direct dropbacks, Cousins' value will plummet, and he will have little to rely on.

Although Penix battled injuries himself in college – including a broken collarbone and two torn ACLs – he brings athleticism and youth. Although Penix doesn't run and only had 265 rushing yards in six college seasons, he is better at movement and has a rocket-like left arm. At Washington, Penix averaged 8.6 yards per attempt over the last two seasons and was the FBS's leading pass yardage player in both seasons.

While Penix will sit on the bench until coach Raheem Morris believes he's Atlanta's best chance to win, it's hard to imagine that moment being far away unless Cousins ​​excels. Maybe it will happen sometime this year, maybe not until 2025, but with Penix quite old for a rookie and Cousins ​​struggling to get enough yards, the conversation will continue.

For now, however, Cousins ​​has avoided serious conversations about his job security. The Falcons gave him the largest contract in franchise history just six months ago. Owner Arthur Blank would be reluctant to sign a short-term deal, especially if it would give Cousins ​​the opportunity to recover from one of the most serious injuries an athlete can suffer.

Now that he has a brilliant prime-time win under his belt, Cousins ​​can breathe a sigh of relief while Blank and Fontenot don't have to think about whether dealing their new quarterback was an extremely costly mistake.

If Cousins ​​hadn't started driving the offense instead of taking care of it, the complaints in Atlanta – and the calls for Penix – would have only gotten louder and harder to ignore.

But after a prime-time game in which he provided the decisive moment, Cousins ​​can enjoy his victory, knowing his seat still needs to warm up.