The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million, delivering an expectation that the team instantly would be better on offense. On Sunday, they weren’t.
The Falcons led 10-9 at halftime. They lost 18-10, with three first downs and 51 total yards in the second half.
It was not what Cousins, the Falcons or Falcons fans had in mind.
“I was disappointed,” Cousins said, via team transcript. “Certainly disappointed. You always go out there with an expectation that you’re going to play at a high level, and we didn’t play up to our standards today.”
Cousins threw two interceptions, and he and center Drew Dalman botched a snap that hit the legs of Ross Dwelley, who was in motion.
“The timing was off,” Cousins said. “It’s my fault, sending the motion and asking for the ball, and the timing was off. So, it’s something that you have to bat a thousand, and you can’t have a mistake, and we paid for it today.”
Playing his first game since tearing his Achilles while with the Vikings last season, Cousins finished his day 16-of-26 for 155 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
“We have to avoid critical errors,” Cousins said. “We always say that, but we have to do it. I think if we do that and keep ourselves in manageable down in distances, I think today showed it, you know, we can be a productive offense. But when we hurt ourselves, it’s tough to overcome.”
Cousins, 36, did not play in the preseason. He was asked if the offense might have played better Sunday if they had.
“It’s hard to say,” Cousins said. “I think the key is that we’re healthy for Week 1, and that was really the focus. There’s never excuses. You have to be ready to go when your number is called regardless. That was certainly no different today.”