You like that?
No, Falcons fans did not enjoy what they saw yesterday, Oct. 20, when the Seattle Seahawks came into town. During Kirk Cousins’ media availability earlier in the week, he quoted a former teammate about his team’s mentality on the road: “We want to come into your trap and take over your trap.” On social media, they loved it because he was embracing Atlanta culture. They laughed and joked about how much “culture” Cousins has, some even saying retire his jersey now.
Well, the Seahawks decided to make Cousins a man of his word, or better yet, eat his words. They came into Mercedes-Benz Stadium and turned it into Lumen Field (Seahawk’s stadium). The Seahawks thrashed the Falcons 34-14 on their home field, ending the Falcons’ three-game win streak and humbling a fan base that was starting to truly believe in the team. Atlanta, welcome to the Kirk Cousins experience.
Cousins is a more than serviceable quarterback and we’ve seen that this season. He brought hope to a team that desperately sought someone competent at the most important position in sports. After years of Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinecke, seeing Kirk under center was almost like finding the Holy Grail. The thing about Cousins though, when you least expect it, he will disappoint you.
This has been his story his whole career. It’s why Washington made him the first QB to get franchise-tagged twice. It’s why the Minnesota Vikings never gave Cousins a full max deal, instead opting to give him first a three-year deal and then a two-year one. And it’s why he won’t finish his new deal with the Falcons, at least as a starter. Kirk Cousins simply cannot be trusted, and the Falcons saw the first glimpse of that against the Seahawks.
The Falcons were riding high. They were on a 3-game win streak, including wins against division rivals, the Saints and the Buccaneers. The offense finally looked alive, Drake London was having 100-yard receiving games, Kyle Pitts was finally living up to his draft hype, and Bijan Robinson looked like the most explosive running back in the NFL. All they had to do was beat the Seattle Seahawks, the same Seahawks that were on a three-game losing skid, including a bad loss to Daniel Jones and the Giants. Funny enough, Cousins saw this exact story nearly two years ago.
Cousins was on the Vikings at this time, arguably flying the highest his career had seen. His Vikings finished the season 13-4, good enough for the number two seed in the AFC, and who did they play? You guessed it, Daniel Jones and the Giants. The Vikings were huge favorites; they had Cousins and Justin Jefferson, who finished the season fifth in MVP voting. It was supposed to be an easy win, but no; somehow, Cousins allowed his team to lose to Jones. And a year later, he was no longer a Viking.
When it comes to Cousins, one thing is for certain: disappointment. You don’t know when it will come; it might be on a primetime game, or against a division rival, or in the playoffs against an opponent he has no business losing to. Cousins will show out and get everybody on the bandwagon, just for it to collapse when the lights shine the brightest. So be wary, ATLiens; the disappointment is coming. It might be in Week 17 with a playoff birth on the line or even in the Wild Card matchup come postseason. Enjoy the ride, because Cousins will lead us to some enjoyable wins this season, but be ready for the drop because it will be a nasty fall.
Welcome to the Kirk Cousins experience.
