Raheem Morris shut down the concerns about Kirk Cousins' health
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins had a rough game in the team's Week 1 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, so much so that some are fearing that he might still not be healthy as he is coming off of a torn Achilles, but head coach Raheem Morris shut down that notion, saying his quarterback is healthy.
“I feel like Kirk is healthy,” Raheem Morris said, via Tori McElhaney of the Falcons. “He's been healthy since he's been here, since he's been back. Obviously the restrictions we had on him early… being smart with the OTA days. When we came back for training camp he was full-go being able to move, other than the scrambles, which some of those things we limited. Towards the end of training camp we allowed those things to happen. We got him ready to go, back for a game yesterday, but we gotta get better.”
Cousins completed 16-of-26 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown, and threw two interceptions as well. It was not a strong day in his Falcons debut, but the Steelers are one of the more talented defenses in the NFL. The Falcons hope that Cousins was just knocking off some rust and will perform better in the coming weeks.
Falcons didn't utilize play action or designed roll-outs with Kirk Cousins
There was a viral throw on a 3rd and 15 in which Cousins looked as if he could not plant his back foot, which is the one that he tore the Achilles on. The Falcons also did not use play action or roll outs much, play types that would have gotten Cousins moving.
3rd-and-15. No pressure. Time to rifle this in there. Look at the follow thru. It's his right achilles that was torn. Can't even get his cleats into the turf to drive the ball. Take a second to watch this.
The Falcons were the pistol or shotgun on 96% of their snaps on Sunday, and for the 22 snaps out of shotgun, there were no designed runs, according to Field Yates. For the 26 snaps out of pistol, the Falcons ran the ball on 81% of those plays, according to Yates.
It does not get easier for the Falcons in Week 2, as they will travel on the road to play the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. The Eagles are one of the most talented teams in the NFL, and have one of the best home field advantages. They also showed off their explosive offense in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers.
After the Eagles game, the Falcons will host the Kansas City Chiefs before welcoming the New Orleans Saints in Week 4.
Hopefully Cousins can get back to how he was playing before he tore his Achilles a season ago.
