Michael Strahan gives hard truth to Kirk Cousins after rookie Michael Penix shines in first Falcons start

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The Atlanta Falcons have taken over first place in an NFC South race that is going to come down to the wire in the final two weeks of the regular season. 

However, the quarterback who helped beat the New York Giants on Sunday wasn’t Kirk Cousins – the $180 million man they signed to a four-year deal this offseason. 

It was Michael Penix Jr., the rookie first-round pick. Many were shocked when the Falcons called his name because they had just signed the veteran Cousins a month ago. 

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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins speaks during a news conference after the 42-21 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Dec. 8, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Cousins’ play, though, had been faltering of late, and one NFL Hall of Famer was blunt with his assessment of him this year after Penix looked good in his first NFL start. 

"Consistently mediocre. That’s what Kirk has been this year," Giants great Michael Strahan said, via the Daily Mail. "Whenever you’re a great player in your mind, you’re still that. But sometimes, your skill level diminishes, and it drops. 

"You don’t know when it’s going to happen, it can happen at any point in the season. I think for Kirk Cousins, it happened now." 

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The Falcons were 7-7 under Cousins, but head coach Raheem Morris made a change after Atlanta’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders saw more maligned offensive drives just like the ones in recent weeks with Cousins under center. 

But the 36-year-old, who is coming off a torn Achilles from the 2023 season