Kirk Cousins’ homecoming in Minneapolis ended in disappointment as the Atlanta Falcons fell to the Vikings, 42-21, marking their fourth consecutive loss. With his last pass sailing over tight end Kyle Pitts and landing in the back of the end zone, Cousins could only shake his head while walking off the field.
Cousins, who spent six seasons with the Vikings, returned to face his former team but struggled to make an impact. He threw two interceptions and failed to record a touchdown pass, extending a career-worst streak. Over the last four games, Cousins has thrown eight interceptions without a touchdown, joining a list of only five other quarterbacks in the past 20 seasons to experience such a slump.
“I’d love to be playing with a lot more production,” Cousins said after the game, taking time to greet former teammates and coaches. “It’s been disappointing the last four weeks to not have a touchdown pass. I’d like that to be different.”
Despite the struggles, Cousins completed 23 of 37 passes for 344 yards, his second-highest total of the season. However, his two key interceptions were costly. The first occurred late in the first quarter with the game tied at 7-7, when Vikings safety Josh Metellus intercepted a short pass. The second interception came midway through the fourth quarter as the Falcons attempted to rally from a 14-point deficit; Cousins overthrew a pass that was snagged by cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. near the goal line.
“Certainly the first turnover is one that I can correct. I can throw it away. I don’t need to force the ball into that window,” Cousins reflected. “The second one was tough. I would’ve liked to have put the ball more on the inside. They brought a lot of pressure, and I thought Byron Murphy made a good play.”
With increasing calls for rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. to take over as the starter, Falcons coach Raheem Morris reiterated his support for Cousins. “Kirk Cousins is our quarterback,” Morris stated. “Everything is always discussed when you go watch the tape, but we’ll do whatever is best to win football games, and Kirk is definitely a part of that.”
Cousins allowed himself a moment of levity after hearing Morris praise his performance compared to the previous week, when he tied a career high with four interceptions in a loss to the Chargers. “Last week was a low bar,” Cousins joked. “But I felt better today. I felt more like myself.”
He also acknowledged the loud boos from the crowd when he and his teammates entered the field, saying, “It’s a great fan base, and I expected them to make it hostile, and they did a good job of that.”
With the Minnesota game behind him, Cousins and the Falcons now shift their focus to the upcoming stretch, beginning with a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders next week, followed by another homecoming game for Cousins against Washington on December 29.
“It’s never easy,” Cousins said. “In pro football, you get tested, and we’re there right now. But win or lose, you have to apply the same processes each week and get better. Whether you win or lose, you’ve got to find a way to continuously improve.”
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