Falcons bench Michael Penix Jr. for Kirk Cousins during blowout loss

For the first time since Week 15 last year, Kirk Cousins was back under center for the Falcons in a regular season game.

Cousins, the four-time Pro Bowler who tumbled down the depth chart after bolting to the Falcons in free agency in 2024, took over late in the fourth quarter Sunday when Michael Penix Jr. was benched during their ugly 30-0 loss to the Panthers.

Penix, who took over as the starting quarterback late last season and entered the 2025 campaign with the job, went just 18-for-36 with 172 yards with two interceptions — including one that was returned for a touchdown — and zero touchdowns.

He entered with just one touchdown pass and 433 pass yards through the opening two games, too.

Cousins went 5-for-7 with 29 yards across two drives, though all his passing attempts came on his first possession.

However, head coach Raheem Morris made it clear to reporters after the game that Cousins will not have a chance to earn the starting job back this week, and that Penix remains the starter.

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It followed a report earlier in the week on the “Scoop City” podcast stating that people around the NFL “think Kirk Cousins is essentially done” when it comes to potentially acquiring the 37-year-old quarterback via trade, James Palmer reported.

“I don’t know if that’s a universal thought or not,” Palmer added on the podcast appearance, “so it has to be the right team that doesn’t think that.”

Cousins’ fall with the Falcons — after signing a four-year, $180 contract last year — started when they surprisingly took Penix No. 8 overall in the draft last year, and he started the first 14 games of the season before Penix took over at the year of the year.

“Obviously, you’d love to play,” Cousins told reporters in June at the Falcons’ mandatory minicamp. “But I’m not gonna dwell on things that aren’t reality.”

The loss dropped the Falcons to 1-2 this season after they lost to the Buccaneers in Week 1 and defeated the Vikings — on five field goals and a late touchdown — last Sunday.