The Washington Commanders face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4, and there are quarterback questions for both teams.

For Washington, it’s nothing controversial. Jayden Daniels will play if he’s healthy enough. He missed Sunday’s win over the Raiders with a knee sprain, and veteran Marcus Mariota was brilliant in his place. If Daniels can’t go, the Commanders are fully confident in Mariota.

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Meanwhile, things are less certain in Atlanta. The Falcons were embarrassed by the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, losing 30-0 and benching second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. His replacement: former Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins happens to be the most expensive backup quarterback in NFL history, thanks to Atlanta’s foolish decision to pay him and use a top-10 pick on a quarterback in the same year.

With Penix benched in Sunday’s game, the first thought was, would the Commanders be facing Cousins next week?

Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris told the media there was no quarterback controversy.

“The game was out of hand,” Morris said of the quarterback change. “You move on. Keep him out of harm’s way, keep our guys out of harm’s way. Take a couple players out. We had to take some of those wideouts out. We had to get the young back in. The game was out of hand. They got us.”

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When asked if Cousins would have a chance to compete for the job? Morris offered a blunt and emphatic one-word response: “No.”

Penix took over late last season when Cousins struggled. However, through three games this season, Penix has completed 58.6% of his passes for 605 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. His only touchdown pass was to running back Bijan Robinson, who took a short pass to the house. Robinson has yet to throw a touchdown pass to a receiver or tight end.

So, there will be no Cousins vs. Washington talk this week. The Falcons are 1-2 and already playing the blame game, firing WR coach Ike Hilliard and moving offensive coordinator Zac Robinson from the booth to the sideline.

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Meanwhile, on the other side, if Mariota starts for Washington, it could be a revenge game for him. He spent the 2022 season with Atlanta, starting 13 games before the Falcons went with Desmond Ridder at quarterback for the remainder of a lost season. Mariota left the team, as he had previously discussed. The experience left a bad taste in Mariota’s mouth due to the narrative painted around his departure. The respected veteran was unhappy with how he was portrayed.

If he gets the start on Sunday against his old team, things could get interesting. On Sunday, Mariota started for the first time since that 2022 season, against another former team, the Raiders, leading the Commanders to a 41-24 win.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Falcons’ Raheem Morris says no QB controversy