The Atlanta Falcons limped into the bye week after a dreadful performance against the Denver Broncos over the weekend. Sunday was hard to watch, but with an extra week of preparation should trigger some changes for the team.
In Week 11, Atlanta's defense allowed 400 yards and five touchdowns while the offense only managed 226 yards and two field goals. Kirk Cousins completed one pass for 173 yards and one interception before the team traded the rookie . A look into the fourth quarter.
Former NFL quarterback who spent his first three seasons on Atlanta's practice squad, is a big fan of the team's rookie signal-caller. Benkert posted on his Twitter account that if the Falcons want to be successful in the playoffs, they should start at Penix for the remainder of the season.
If the Falcons want to be successful in the playoffs, they need to play Penix the rest of the game and accelerate the learning curve.
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert)
Although Cousins doesn't have a great track record in the postseason, it would be almost unimaginable for the team to bench him this season. For one thing, the veteran quarterback played pretty well most of the time (2,807 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, nine interceptions).
More importantly, the Falcons are still leading the division and making the move while the team's first postseason appearance in six years is within reach would be a stunning decision.
Penix threw for 4,907 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the Washington Huskies last season. It was the second straight year for Penix with at least 30 touchdowns and over 4,500 passing yards.
Heading into the draft, most scouts viewed Penix as one of the more professional quarterbacks in his class. That's why many were confused when the Falcons selected the Huskies' QB after signing Cousins to a four-year deal.
Still, we don't expect head coach Raheem Morris to make a move any time soon.