Much of the talk during the bye week for the Atlanta Falcons has been about how the team can fix its struggling defense. But according to NFL.com's Nick Shook, the Falcons aren't getting consistently great play at quarterback either.
Cousins dropped from No. 12 on Shook's weekly NFL QB power rankings list to No. 19 after the team's 38-6 loss to the Denver Broncos on Nov. 17.
"Denver made the going tough for the Falcons, who found themselves stuck in the muck offensively, leading to an unproductive afternoon that included a steady rate of pressure on Cousins. His immobility is becoming a bit of a glaring issue," Shook wrote. "Cousins still launched a few accurate throws downfield that were broken up by Denver's secondary, but he also threw atruly awful interception in the middle of the third quarter, piling onto what had already been an avalanche of negative outcomes for the Falcons on a generally no good, very bad offensive day.
"The Falcons need more balance and must stay on schedule to get back on track. It would be wise to figure it out quickly, especially with the Buccaneers lurking in the NFC South race."
No. 19 is the lowest Cousins has been on Shook's quarterback index since he was ranked No. 21 before Week 5.
There's a little too much recency bias for my liking in Shook's QB rankings. But he's correct to drop Cousins on his list after the blowout loss to the Broncos. Cousins hasn't throw a touchdown in the past two games, and in Denver, he finished with 173 passing yards.
Here is the list of quarterbacks who either jumped Cousins or Cousins fell behind (depending on one's perspective) on Shook's rankings this week: Matthew Stafford, Jalen Hurts, Geno Smith, Jordan Love, Sam Darnold, Tua Tagovailoa, and Derek Carr.
At No. 19, Cousins stayed one spot ahead of fellow 2024 free agent signee Russell Wilson. Wilson isn't asked to carry his team like Cousins is, but Wilson is 4-0 with his new organization this season.
With the weekend off, it will be interesting to see if Cousins will further drop on Shook's rankings before Atlanta's next game. It's also possible Cousins moves up the list if some of the other middle-tier quarterbacks play poorly in Week 12.
