The Atlanta Falcons signed five-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins to a lucrative four-year, $180 million contract this past offseason for one reason. To bring stability to this position for the first time since Matt Ryan left the team following the 2021 season.
Expectations were sky high for Cousins and Co. heading into Sunday’s home date against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
About that?
Cousins and his Falcons were an absolute disaster on offense in an 18-10 loss to the Steelers. He threw two interceptions and played a role in a lost fumble due to a botched snap with center Drew Dalman. It was an ugly performance in Raheem Morris’ debut as the Falcons head coach.
Cousins is in his 13th NFL season. He simply can’t make mistakes like that. Throwing late and to the outside while not recognizing underneath coverage is a rookie-level mistake. That’s the honest assessment here.
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Cousins touched on his brutal performance after the game. To say that he was not happy would be a major understatement.
“I was disappointed. Certainly disappointed,” Kirk Cousins told reporters, via the Atlanta Falcons official website. “You always go out there with an expectation that you’re going to play at a high level, and we didn’t play up to our standards today.”
Cousins expanded on what he saw, too.
“We didn’t sustain enough drives and it felt like a lot of that, some of that, was self-inflicted,” Cousins said. “It felt like we had the chances to get going but it was a flag or a turnover or whatever it may have been to wipe out the opportunity.”
The turnovers and miscues cost Atlanta in a game that it held Pittsburgh to six field goals.
However, Cousins’ inability to connect with Atlanta’s skill-position talent also played a role. Wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts combined to catch five passes for 41 yards. That’s just not going to cut it. Cousins knows this.