Falcons QB Kirk Cousins ​​​​wants to change MNF history

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — A shirtless Kirk Cousins ​​swayed back and forth, almost dancing in place, with several expensive necklaces around his neck and a pair of fancy black-rimmed glasses.

It was November 2022, and Cousins' Minnesota Vikings had just overcome a 10-point deficit to beat his former team, the Washington Commanders, in a key late-season game. That was the origin of Cousins' alter ego, dubbed “Kirko Chainz” by his teammates.

This version of Cousins ​​— minus the chains — has always existed. There's the Cousins ​​who jokes around by quoting '90s Ben Stiller movies like “Heavyweights” and jokes about taking teammates on a tour of casual chain restaurants like Texas Roadhouse. And then there's the ultra-serious Cousins ​​who is perhaps too focused on the “importance of the moment.”

“I think, to be honest, my wife [Julie Hampton] would tell me that you really have to be the guy who's always just cracking jokes and having fun,” Cousins ​​said. “That's your best self.

“I know she's right, but it's hard for me. … And that's why I'm trying to find that balance.”

Kirko Chainz is on his way to ATL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nIZ5MmN0Do

— NFL (@NFL) March 11, 2024

On the field, Cousins ​​has two realities, too. The 36-year-old Atlanta Falcons quarterback has thrown for more than 4,000 yards in seven seasons and thrown more than 25 touchdown passes in eight seasons. But his teams have only made the playoffs three times with him as a starter, and his record is 1-2.

Then there’s “Monday Night Football,” where the Falcons play away against the Philadelphia Eagles (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Cousins ​​has a 3-10 record at MNF and had the longest losing streak – nine games – of any quarterback in MNF history from 2014-2019. But a closer look shows that those numbers could be deceiving. In any case, the Falcons hope Cousins ​​can reverse that fortune against the Eagles (1-0), especially since Atlanta is coming off a season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“It's great fun for television,” Atlanta coach Raheem Morris said of the critical examination of Cousins' problems during important games. “It's good material to talk about.”

“All these things that you [still] you have to go out there and play and you have to prepare. You have to trust your process and go out there and win.”

Morris said he remembers similar perceptions from another quarterback he knows well, Matthew Stafford, who is 6-9 feet tall at MNF and has thrown 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Morris was the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams when Stafford helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI.

“We got off to a really good start, but we had a rough patch in November,” Morris said of the 2022 season. “Everyone forgot about us, and then Matthew Stafford came along, went to the playoffs and won the Super Bowl for us.”

“So we gave him all the honor.”

Cousins ​​has the third-worst win percentage for quarterbacks in MNF starts, according to ESPN Research, behind Jim Everett (2-10) and Andy Dalton (2-8). But statistically, he hasn't played badly, especially compared to his peers.

Cousins ​​has 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a total quarterback rating (QBR) of 54.3 on Monday night. The league average QBR since Cousins' first career Monday start in 2014 is 56.4. And Cousins ​​has won three of his last four Monday games. In his last game, Cousins ​​led the Vikings to victory over the San Francisco 49ers by completing 35 of 45 passes for 378 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in Week 7 of last season.

Cousins ​​said he believed his alleged MNF struggles were “an outdated narrative.”

There are also different opinions on the question of whether the quarterback is responsible for a team's wins or losses. Morris said it is a team result.

Cousins ​​agrees. The last time he played against the Eagles was a Thursday night game on Sept. 14, 2023. He completed 31 of 44 passes for 364 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The Vikings still lost 34-28.

“You get on the plane [after the game]say, 'Look, I didn't defend, I didn't return punts,'” Cousins ​​told ESPN. “I played quarterback and played well. We lost — I wish I had played even better.”

“But you have to ask yourself, 'Are you playing winning football?' And there are parts you can control and there are parts you can't control.”

Dalton said that if someone on “Monday Night Football” claimed a quarterback was struggling, it simply meant he was “playing against good people” because the platform often tries to showcase the best game or teams.

“There's no pressure,” Dalton said. “It's just another game being played later. Nothing changes. There will be more cameras and the courtside team will be there before the game, but it's all the same.”

“If you're getting up more often because it's Monday Night Football, or you're more nervous because it's Monday Night Football, you have the wrong mindset.”

Cousins ​​and the Falcons face additional pressure this week. Cousins, playing in his first game back since tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 8 of last season, struggled against the Steelers, completing 16 of 26 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Cousins ​​managed 19 passing yards in the second half, the lowest second-half total of his career.

The performance, which was so out of step with Cousins' career history, and Atlanta's tactical play raised doubts about the quarterback's health. The Falcons played primarily with the pistol set, something Cousins ​​had never done more than 10 times in a game in his career. Cousins ​​was used as quarterback on only one play, and the offense under new coordinator Zac Robinson did not use play-action – something Cousins ​​has excelled at in the past – even once.

It was the first time he started a game and did not attempt a play-action pass. Last season, Cousins ​​threw five touchdowns without an interception on 91 play-action attempts. Since entering the NFL in 2012, his 94 pass touchdowns from play-action rank second only to Russell Wilson (104), according to ESPN Research.

Cousins ​​denied there were any setbacks in his recovery, and Morris attributed his quarterback's play to “rust.” The plays, the coach said, were simply the system and not an attempt to cover up Cousins' weaknesses. The Falcons have not lost their faith in Cousins.

“We don’t want anyone else leading our team,” Robinson said.

Cousins ​​has put up great numbers over the course of his 13-year career and turned them into hundreds of millions of dollars. Atlanta signed him in the offseason for four years and $180 million, with $100 million guaranteed.

The confidence in Cousins ​​and the 2024 Falcons, with their young, talented players like running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, was so great that the team sold out its season ticket packages before training camp for the first time in 20 years.

“There was production, there was a financial benefit,” Cousins ​​said. “But yeah, at this point I want to check the box: playing important games in January and February — and winning.”

Perhaps the key is finding a balance between the ironic Kirko Chainz and the hyper-focused Cousins. On Monday night, he'll get another chance to change history.

“I think there's an intensity, a seriousness, a focus,” Cousins ​​said. “My wife will tell you, 'Kirk, seriousness is not a virtue.' So seriousness is all well and good, but I think you have to balance it with fun and enjoying the moment.

“I never want to lose my intensity, but I also want to make sure I have a lot of fun while I play. I think you come out best when you're having a lot of fun.”