Falcons' Kirk Cousins: Comes up short in Minnesota return

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Cousins completed 23 of 37 passes for 344 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the Falcons' 42-21 loss to the Vikings on Sunday.

Making his return to Minnesota, Cousins' afternoon started off in fine fashion when he helmed an 11-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in a Tyler Allgeier six-yard touchdown run on the game's opening possession. However, the Vikings' aggressive defense progressively began figuring out its former teammate, allowing just three additional points during the rest of the first half with the help of one of two interceptions off Cousins during the afternoon. Cousins faltered again with just under six and a half minutes remaining, overshooting Kyle Pitts on a red-zone throw for a second pick that essentially snuffed out any hopes of an Atlanta comeback. Cousins did compile enough completions after the game was out of reach to eclipse the 300-yard mark for his third time as a Falcon, but he'll head into a Week 15 road matchup against the Raiders with an 0:8 TD:INT in his last four games. Despite the abysmal stretch of play, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that head coach Raheem Morris confirmed after the game that "Kirk Cousins is our quarterback" when asked about the possibility of affording rookie signal-caller Michael Penix a spot start.