The Atlanta Falcons, who were picked by many when this season started to win the NFC South, went on a four-game losing streak after starting 6-3, and even though they ended that skid with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, they made a big change.
They decided to move veteran starting quarterback Kirk Cousins to the bench and promote rookie Michael Penix Jr., who has thrown a grand total of five pass attempts this year.
Penix said he was caught off guard when he got the news — he was shopping at Costco and getting a hot dog, and once he was notified he would be starting, he apparently lost his appetite, per Yahoo Sports.
Penix had a marvelous 2023 season at the University of Washington by leading the NCAA in passing yards, but many questioned the Falcons’ decision to take him with the No. 8 pick in this year’s draft when they had already signed Cousins to a big contract.
On the other hand, it may have been a wise move, considering Cousins is 36 years of age and coming off a torn Achilles he suffered in Week 8 last season.
He has struggled this season and is currently leading the NFL with 16 interceptions, yet plenty of people are second-guessing the move to bench him.
The Falcons are 7-7 and are just one game behind the first-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team they hold the tiebreaker over.
They have three winnable games coming up to close out the regular season, but asking a rookie to come in and deliver a division title is a tall order.
