Kirk Cousins is probably going through his worst phase in the NFL. His disastrous 0-6 TD-INT ratio in the last 3 weeks has hurt the Falcons dearly. Well, the team that was once running away with the NFC South title has shot themselves in the foot. Over the last three games, the Falcons have scored just 36 points and have lost all of them. Their 3 consecutive losses have allowed the Bucs to creep back up while breathing down the shoulders of the Falcons, who are still in the first place.

So you could be thinking the Falcons might just bench Cousins to get themselves out of the slump. But no, their head coach, Raheem Morris, has other plans. As per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, despite all the struggles, the Falcons are standing beside Cousins. Morris believes Cousins will bounce back, starting with facing his former team in Minnesota.

Well, it could be a now-or-never kind of moment for Cousins in his former backyard. A stadium that was once filled with his own supporters could be waiting for Cousins with a hostile reception. And after the Chargers game, where Cousins threw 4 interceptions. Not having his home support behind him could derail his chances of making a comeback.

And don’t forget that Cousins has yet to score a TD during his current skid. He also needs to be wary of the Vikings‘ defense, which leads the NFL’s interceptions chart. With 18 against their name and one each in their last 12 games, Cousins could find it difficult to make any meaningful impact on Sunday.

But the Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is still not ready to take Cousins capabilities lightly, “I know the narrative is he had a tough game last week, but he’s played some good football. I think the people in this building know what Kirk can do.” So what can he do? Will he manage to bounce back? Guess we will find out soon. But for now, the Falcons are not yet to throw the 36-year-old under the bus.

Atlanta Falcons stand firmly behind Kirk Cousins

When you are trying to come out of darkness, you need the support of everyone around you. And that’s what the Falcons are trying to do with Kirk Cousins. After the Chargers loss, Raheem Morris came out and said, “Everything starts with me. Obviously, the quarterback and the head coach get all the blame for all those types of things, and they also get all the credit. It may be territorial, but is it fair?” 

Even Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is sticking behind his QB for now, “Without getting too far into some thing that go on, schematically and whatnot, absolutely. The quarterback’s always going to get too much praise and too much criticism depending on how the game goes.”

But Cousins’ struggles aren’t just subjected to interceptions. Just look at the Broncos game that the Falcons lost 38-6. Cousins threw for only 173 yards, his second-lowest yardage this season. Well, you also look at his lack of focus going back to the Saints loss 20-17. When the Falcons had the ball late in the final quarter, Cousins threw an interception that proved costly. And it also kickstarted the 3-game slump they have found themselves in.

It remains to be seen whether Cousins can turn it around this week. Otherwise, the Falcons have their first-round pick, Michael Penix Jr, to replace him if enough is enough.