Falcons HC Raheem Morris makes feelings known on Kirk Cousins' lackluster game: "Didn’t play well enough"

On Monday night, the Atlanta Falcons snapped their four-game losing streak with a 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium and improved to 7-7.

They were in the lead for the majority of the game but could have lost it on the final play, as quarterback Desmond Ridder threw a Hail Mary that looked destined to fall into wide receiver Jakobi Meyer's hands.

However, safety Jessie Bates beat him to the punch and picked off the pass to secure the win for his team.

The Falcons will feel the game shouldn't have been this close. The Raiders have the joint-worst record in the league and were playing with a third-string quarterback. Atlanta should have been out of sight well before Ridder's Hail Mary pass but didn't because their offense, especially quarterback Kirk Cousins, had a dismal day at the office.

During his media availability on Tuesday, the rookie head coach was asked whether the veteran was still the team's starting quarterback.

He responded:

"We just got back. We still have to go through that process. All those things will happen over the week. We didn’t play well enough at the quarterback position."

Cousins finished the game with 112 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. His underwhelming display prompted fans on social media to demand the Falcons bench him and field rookie Michael Penix Jr. under center in their Week 16 clash against the New York Giants.

Kirk Cousins' underwhelming form might prompt a change

Morris' non-committal answer suggests the Falcons could turn to Michael Penix Jr. for Sunday's game against the New York Giants. It wouldn't be a surprise considering how poorly Kirk Cousins has played over the past month.

His touchdown pass to Drake London in the win over the Raiders was his first in five games. During that four-game drought, he completed 62.4% of his pass attempts and averaged 267 passing yards. He threw eight interceptions and the Falcons lost all four.

Cousins' underwhelming performance against the Raiders could be the final straw. Atlanta will likely have to win all three games left on their schedule to have a chance of usurping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South standings and earning a playoff berth.