Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterDec 1, 2024, 05:26 PM ET
ATLANTA -- Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins took the blame for Sunday's 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers after he had one of the worst outings of his 13-year NFL career on Sunday.
Cousins threw four interceptions, the most he's had in a single game since 2014 and a total that ties a career-high. He was the victim of a 61-yard pick-six by Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still and had another interception in the end zone by Marcus Maye that harpooned a promising fourth-quarter drive. Three of the final Atlanta drives in the game ended in a Cousins interception.
In his postgame news conference, Cousins took responsibility for the poor performance and the defeat.
"I look to myself and say, 'I've got to play better,'" Cousins said. "It hurts. When you feel like your defense played winning football, feel like your special teams made big plays, felt like the run game [did] a solid job, I've got to play better."
It was the Falcons' third straight loss and the team is now 6-6 and clinging to first place in the NFC South. Cousins has not thrown a touchdown in three consecutive games. He had never had back-to-back games without throwing a touchdown pass since becoming a full-time starter in 2015.
Coming off a bye week, Atlanta wanted to fix its defense -- and largely did. The Falcons had a season-high five sacks, their highest total since Week 16 of 2023. They did not allow an offensive touchdown. Yet, they still came away with a loss, which fell on the shoulders of the offense.
The Falcons remain behind Cousins as their quarterback, despite 2024 No. 8 overall pick Michael Penix Jr. waiting in the wings as the QB of the future. Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris said he had no thought of putting Penix in Sunday and Cousins will remain the starter moving forward. Morris said Cousins "has carried us."
"Kirk was brought here to put us in a playoff position," Morris said. "... Everything is still right in front of us. We're still sticking with our plan."
Morris said the main thing he wants to see from Cousins is not turning the ball over. He said he has "no doubt" Cousins will bounce back next week against the Minnesota Vikings, his former team. The Falcons signed Cousins in the offseason to a four-year, $180 million contract.
"He's been great for us all season and it's hard to throw that guy under the bus," Morris said.
Falcons wide receiver Drake London defended Cousins after the game.
"Everybody who's played football and especially at this level has had games like that," London said. "I feel like I just had a game like that. So, it's not all on Kirk. It can never be all on Kirk. We have to run the right routes. We have to be detailed, and we have to execute our plays. So that question kind of irks me a little bit. I really don't like that. Kirk is more than an exceptional quarterback."
Cousins said he's healthy, though he "would love to tell you that I'm fighting through something," to account for his play. On Morris giving him a vote of confidence, Cousins said "there's no entitlement in the NFL."
"You just have to go earn it," Cousins said. "And if it ever was [entitlement,] I wouldn't want it. I need to play at a level that justifies being out there, and so that's the way I'll always view it. And so, I've always felt through my whole 13 years that it should never be about anything but earn the right to be out there."
