The 4-8 Atlanta Falcons face the 9-3 Seattle Seahawks in an NFC battle on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Falcons are coming off a 27-24, Week 13 loss to the New York Jets, while the Seahawks thumped the Minnesota Vikings by a 26-0 score.

The Falcons will once again be without star wideout Drake London, who suffered a knee injury in Week 11 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. suffered a knee injury that was ultimately diagnosed as a torn ACL, which ended his 2025 season.

Cousins Has Turned Out To Be a Much-Needed Asset

Veteran Kirk Cousins stepped in for Penix following his exit against the Panthers, going six for 14 for 48 yards.

That wasn’t the first time Cousins stepped in for Penix, as he started in Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins when the latter was dealing with a bone bruise in his knee. The Falcons fell to Miami by a 34-10 score, with Cousins completing 21 of 31 passes for 173 yards.

In Week 12, Cousins was named the starter for the Falcons’ game against the New Orleans Saints after it was announced Penix would be placed on injured reserve. That week, it was reported by Terrin Waack that Cousins offered his support for Penix amid his knee injury saying,

“Obviously got a good opportunity against the Saints this week. But wanted to just acknowledge how tough the injury is for Michael. My heart breaks for him. He’s someone who has handled adversity so well through his football journey, and unfortunately, he’s having to do it again. But I’m very confident he has a lot of good football ahead of him.

“And yeah, we’re just looking forward to getting to go against the Saints and trying to get back on track here and get things going in the right direction.”

A torn ACL typically takes a minimum of nine months to return from, but even in a best-case scenario, it can take a noteworthy amount of time after that to get back to full health. Therefore, Penix could potentially be out until training camp or longer heading into the 2026 season.

That possibility prompts the question: Can Cousins can keep things afloat while Penix is out?

Can Cousins Continue To Lead the Falcons in Michael Penix Jr.’s Absence?

Due to his experience and past body of work, there’s evidence to suggest Cousins is capable of leading the Falcons to some wins while Penix is sidelined.

There’s already one piece of supporting evidence this season. Cousins went 16-for-23 for 199 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against the Saints in that aforementioned Week 12 game, which culminated in a 24-10 win for Atlanta.

Now in his 14th season, Cousins has ample experience stemming from 169 regular-season appearances. Cousins has also led significantly productive offenses for the Washington Commanders, and more recently, the Minnesota Vikings.

The Week 13 loss to the Jets notwithstanding, Cousins has proven a capable NFL starter for over a decade and therefore has a chance to improve his performance the more he has a chance to play down the stretch run.