Head coach Raheem Morris said Monday that Penix will remain the backup to starting quarterback Kirk Cousins for Week 15, Terrin Waack of the team's official site reports. "Kirk is our quarterback. Kirk is still going to lead us," Morris said.
Atlanta has dropped four straight games to fall out of the lead in the NFC South at 6-7, and Cousins' struggles have led to a discussion about a change under center. In those four losses, the veteran QB completed just 62.4 percent of his passes for 7.6 yards per attempt and a 0:8 TD:INT while also taking eight sacks. Cousins' track record and sizable contract may not be enough to save him if he has another poor showing against a reeling Raiders squad Monday. Penix, the eighth overall pick in April's draft, has made just two brief mop-up appearances through the first 14 weeks of the regular season but looked composed during his lone preseason outing, completing nine of 16 pass attempts for 104 yards.