Joe Burrow and Caleb Williams struggle, Lions beat Rams in overtime
Mackenzie Salmon of Sports Seriously “overreacts” to the biggest headlines of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.
Sport in Seriousness
ATLANTA – What a nightmare for a first impression.
The Atlanta Falcons generated a lot of hope and excitement when they lured Kirk Cousins to town on a massive $180 million contract in March. That kind of money, with $100 million guaranteed on a four-year deal, should be answered prayers.
Instead, Cousins looked too much like his discarded predecessors Desmond Ridder and Marcus Mariota as he stumbled and stumbled in his debut in a Falcons jersey.
What an embarrassment.
“We know he has to play better,” said Falcons coach Raheem Morris, who also made his debut in the 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. “There’s no doubt about that. I’m looking forward to him recovering from a tough game and a tough performance. I’m not too worried about it.”
Sure, it was one week, one game. Overreactions can be more severe in Week 1 than usual. It was the quarterback’s first live game since Cousins, 36, tore his Achilles tendon last October. The rust was clearly visible.
Yet the two ugly bad passes cannot be ignored. The first, by safety DeShon Elliott, came on the second series in the first quarter when Cousins said he tried to throw the ball away over the middle when receiver Drake London apparently stopped tracking his route. The next was even worse, near the halfway line with less than three minutes to play and Atlanta looking to take a touchdown lead. Cousins, under intense pressure, threw a wobbly pass toward Ray-Ray McCloud III, in front of whom Donte Jackson stepped to set up the last of Chris Boswell’s six field goals.
“I just couldn’t get the ball,” said Cousins, who completed 16 of 26 passes for 155 yards and posted a measly 59.0 passer rating.
Things didn’t get any better as the game progressed. The Falcons didn’t concede a goal in the second half.
“We have to play better,” Cousins said. “That’s the key.”
The Falcons lost to a team that didn’t score a single touchdown while managing just 10 points from an offense with so many first-round weapons. It went deeper than just the quarterback getting off on the wrong foot. The pass defense was so questionable that TJ Watt and several of his defensive colleagues were able to constantly harass and beat up Cousins, who was sacked twice and hit seven more times.
The pressure was even greater considering the Falcons have to protect a quarterback who isn’t exactly known for his mobility. While Steelers quarterback Justin Fields evaded several potential sacks and used his legs to keep plays alive (and threw an extra yard without losing a turnover), that’s not Cousins’ recipe for success.
For Cousins to succeed, he needs a clean pocket and precise timing to connect the dots. That certainly wasn’t the case Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, especially on money downs, as Atlanta converted just two of nine third downs (22%).
The Steelers knew it. Pittsburgh mostly kept Cousins in check with a four-man rush, aware of his ability to overcome blitzes. In doing so, the Steelers showed problems with pass defense.
“We had to create pressure in a structure without a blitz,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “That’s what we know about him. Last year he was good against five or more rushers. Over the course of his career he’s been great against five or more rushers. He was good against us, especially against five or more rushers. That wasn’t our intention. We had to do it with four, and we did that. We were able to contain him. We were able to put him out of his spot.”
Watt certainly played a key role in disrupting the timing. The All-Pro linebacker recorded a sack, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and a fumble recovery — and had two more sacks that caused fumbles, including one he recovered that was disallowed by penalties.
But the timing problems were even more common. The most notable example came just after halftime, when a shotgun snap from tight end Charlie Woerner bounced off the field. The fumble, recovered by Watt, led to a field goal.
“The timing wasn’t good,” Cousins said, blaming himself for calling for the ball while moving. “It’s my fault. You have to hit 1,000 and not make a mistake, and we paid for that today.”
Cousins was one of 10 quarterbacks in the NFL scheduled to start in Week 1 who didn’t play a single snap in the preseason. It’s fair to wonder if some of the timing issues that arose in the Falcons’ opening game — when they managed just 226 total yards of offense — wouldn’t have been resolved if Cousins had played in the preseason. It’s worth remembering that Cousins talked Morris into playing in the tryouts, but the idea was flatly rejected.
“I think the key is that we’re healthy for Week 1, and that’s what the focus has been,” Cousins said of the preseason inactivity. “There are no excuses. You have to be ready when you’re called upon.”
The Falcons certainly weren’t ready to start their new era with a bang. The omen may have been Cousins’ first pass, which went wide of intended receiver Darnell Mooney (1 catch, 15 yards) and hit Steelers cornerback Jackson in the chest before falling incomplete. Timing or just a bad throw?
Morris, who replaced Arthur Smith, played down a question about his approach to resting key players during the preseason. The Kansas City Chiefs, for example, got tryouts for Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes (though they also lost recently signed receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to a shoulder injury) and other key players. And the Steelers played several starters in their third preseason game. Then again, Morris is far from the only NFL coach to bubble wrap key players during the preseason.
“I’m not too worried about that,” Morris said. “I think it’s all about preventing injuries. So if we were playing, we wouldn’t be playing just 10 snaps anyway. I don’t even put as much emphasis on it as you do.”
Either way, it’s not going to get any easier. After a Monday night duel at the Philadelphia Eagles — and hey, Cousins is 3-10 on Mondays — the Falcons host the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs for a prime-time game in Week 3.
In other words, the hype and hope could certainly use a little more for their money.
