Yahoo Sports The Falcons benching Kirk Cousins ends his once promising Comeback Player of the Year campaign
The Atlanta Falcons are sending Kirk Cousins to the bench, ending the 36-year-old's run as their starting quarterback just 14 games into a four-year, $180 million deal. Rookie Michael Penix Jr. will take over for Sunday's game against the New York Giants with Atlanta's slim playoff chances hanging in the balance.
The decision seemed unfathomable just a month ago when the Falcons were 6-3 and riding a two-game winning streak where Cousins combined for seven touchdowns and zero interceptions while completing 79% of his passes against the Buccaneers and Cowboys. That stretch of football through Week 9 made the 13-year veteran a firm favorite to win the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award at BetMGM, where his odds peaked at -115 in Week 11.
Since then, it's been all downhill. The team's decision to bench him effectively ends what was once a promising campaign in Cousins' first year back from the Achilles injury that cut his final season in Minnesota short.
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The #Falcons are making a major change, as Michael Penix Jr is expected to take over at QB, with Kirk Cousins going the bench.
Atlanta is still in the thick of the playoff hunt, and Cousins has struggled mightily. Now, Penix takes over. pic.twitter.com/xTPLBovmOd— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 18, 2024
In five games since Week 10, Cousins has just one touchdown to nine interceptions. Though the Falcons snapped a four-game losing streak with Monday's win over the Raiders, the 36-year-old was the first to admit he still needed to improve. The Falcons decided it was too late.
Even before Atlanta announced Cousins to the bench, his CPOY odds had plummeted to +10000. An unfortunate turn of events for bettors, as Cousins remained the fifth-most bet player to win the award by money at BetMGM. Instead, it seems likely headed to Joe Burrow (-1600), who has the award all but locked up as far as oddsmakers are concerned.
The next biggest favorites are Sam Darnold (+1200), Tim Patrick (+1800), Damar Hamlin (+3000), Cameron Heyward (+3000) and Kyler Murray (+3500). Even in a field of long-shots, Cousins went from leader to out of the picture altogether.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Falcons benching Kirk Cousins ends his once promising Comeback Player of the Year campaign
