After a trip to the Strip did not instill confidence in the Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback play, Raheem Morris was not ready Tuesday to commit to a starter for next week.
Atlanta (7-7) beat the Las Vegas Raiders 15-9 on Monday night despite a weak showing from Kirk Cousins. The veteran quarterback threw his first touchdown since Nov. 3 but was 11-for-17 for a season-low 112 yards, with one interception and three sacks.
In his previous four games, Cousins tossed eight picks without a touchdown over four straight losses. Monday’s win kept Atlanta’s playoff hopes alive, for now.
Morris was asked in a video conference with reporters whether Cousins would keep the starting job this week vs. the New York Giants.
“We just got back (to Georgia), man,” Morris said. “We’ve still got to go through all that process like we always do.
“There’s no secret. We didn’t play well at the quarterback position. We got to find ways to play better. So, you know, all those things we go over the course of the week. We got to do whatever’s best to win against the Giants.”
The other option, of course, is rookie Michael Penix Jr., who was selected eighth overall in April’s draft shortly after Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons. Penix has taken 20 snaps this season over two games.
Morris went as far as to say Tuesday that there would not be a downside to playing Penix, even amid a playoff chase.
“You could never say there’s a (downside) to turn it over to somebody that you put a lot of investment into, somebody that you brought in here, somebody you’ve done some things with, somebody that (has) said nothing but the right things since they’ve been here,” Morris said of Penix.
After the Falcons’ narrow win over Las Vegas, Cousins said it was no mystery that he needed to play better.
“I think the last few weeks I would say I need to play better,” Cousins said late Monday night. “Raheem says it, but it’s stating the obvious, and every week you kind of go through your process and you plan to go out there and play the very best you can. And so, this week will be no different.”
Both 2-12, the Raiders and Giants are tied for the worst record in the NFL, and the Falcons catch them on back-to-back weeks with time running out on the season. They trail the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by one game in the NFC South and the Washington Commanders by two games for the third and final wild-card spot in the conference.
On Monday, the NFL flexed the Falcons’ Dec. 29 visit to the Commanders into the Week 17 “Sunday Night Football” broadcast.
In injury news, Morris said kicker Younghoe Koo is dealing with an unspecified injury. Koo recently was listed on the injury report with a right hip ailment.
“We’ll kind of get a feel for what’s going on and everything that’s happening,” Morris said. “Get a better feel for him (Tuesday).”
Atlanta signed kicker Tanner Brown to the practice squad Sunday, the day before the Raiders game. Koo went 2-for-3 on field goals and made his only point-after try on Monday.
–Field Level Media
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