The Atlanta Falcons lost their Week 1 matchup, but their new quarterback says his injury is not to blame. Kirk Cousins says the Achilles he tore in Week 8 last season feels "good" and is not a reason the Falcons couldn't pull off a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.
"I feel good. The Achilles feels good," Cousins said Thursday. "I feel like I can move and push as I normally would."
The 36-year-old went 16 of 26 for 155 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and was sacked twice. Cousins had just 19 yards after halftime, the worst second-half total in his 13-year career.
Cousins says it was more about not playing for a significant part of last season and continuing to be limited for parts of the offseason than it was about his health.
There are numerous possible reasons for Cousins' struggles, from his age, to time off, to a new system. The veteran needs more live action after missing more than half of last season, and he is clearly adjusting to being back on the field.
The Falcons running formations Cousins isn't typically used to operating in was one hint that he may not be mobile enough for his usual style of offense. There was no play-action pass and he was under center very little.
Cousins clarified the change, saying it had nothing to do with his Achilles or ability to move around.
"We started with pistol back in April," he said. "That was a big fundamental philosophy, talking with our offensive line coach, talking with our coaches about what we want to do schematically."
Cousins is also an aging quarterback on a new team, and as we have seen they are running things differently than Cousins has in the past, so there is an adjustment there.
First-year offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said he is "certainly not concerned with Kirk's mobility at all" and that the plan is to always change things around offensively.
"Some of the run game and how we set it up, we'll change those things week to week," Robinson said. "We're never married to one thing or the other. Those things will ever be evolving, based on the game plan of that week. But certainly like the pistol. We did it a ton with the Rams last year, and it's something that gives you a great versatility across the board, so we'll continue to find those spots to mix it in."
Cousins didn't put the blame on his injury, but did put a lot of the blame on himself.
"I got to play better, I got to operate better and I was probably at the center of it not being clean and crisp," Cousins said. "So, that frustrated me deeply, because I can place such an importance on that, in running the operation clean and crisp. And that's what has to be better Monday."
The Falcons have a big challenge ahead of them, facing the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. The Eagles' defensive line didn't shine last week, but they are usually a problem for opposing offenses. Even if Cousins is able to move around, the Eagles' ability to create pressure could become a big problem.
The Falcons' offensive line struggled last week and the group as a whole is still building chemistry. Cousins will likely rely a lot on Bijan Robinson, who led the team in rushing last week (68 yards).
The Falcons and Eagles face off on "Monday Night Football."
