As a contending team, the Falcons took the rare step of replacing their veteran quarterback with a rookie in Week 16.
Atlanta has since gone 1-1 with Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback, beating the Giants before falling to the Commanders in overtime last Sunday night.
Penix told reporters this week that Kirk Cousins has been a solid teammate despite the situation.
“I mean, from my perspective, he’s been great and been nothing but supportive,” Penix said in his press conference. “He always walks in here with a smile on his face into the building, and he cheers up the team. We were just all out there with the younger guys and some of the practice squad guys and just going through plays with them. So he’s heavily involved, and he wants to do whatever he can to help this team be better. … But to get more into that, you have to ask him.”
In his two starts, Penix has completed 60 percent of his passes for 425 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Falcons still have a shot to make the postseason, but they’ll need to beat the Panthers on Sunday and get some help from the Saints, who will need to beat the Buccaneers.
