For the first time in six weeks, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris had a reason to smile in his weekly Monday press conference.
Atlanta (4-7) snapped a five-game losing streak with a 24-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, despite the absence of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and leading receiver Drake London. Penix suffered a season-ending partially torn ACL against the Carolina Panthers last week, while London exited that day with a sprained PCL and missed his first game of the year.
Veteran Kirk Cousins threw for 199 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the win Sunday, after serving in a backup role for the majority of the first 11 weeks.
“It’s absolutely outstanding,” Morris said Monday of Cousins’ leadership skills. “It was the whole reason, the purpose of being so adamant about having Kirk be a part of this football team. You’re talking about a great guy, a great human. A guy that we brought in here to be a starter. … His number was called and he was able to go out there and execute for us and get a win.”
The win kept Atlanta’s slim postseason hopes alive, with ESPN giving the Falcons a 1.5% chance of ending their seven-year playoff drought.
For Morris, putting an end to the franchise’s longest losing skid in five years was a step in the right direction, even in a disappointing season.
“Really fired up about the tape,” Morris said. “Really fired up about the guys and what they were able to do and accomplish as a team. It was a big-time team win for us and I was proud of the guys.”
Likely needing to win out to have an opportunity to earn a playoff spot, the Falcons will face the lowly New York Jets (2-9) on Sunday, a matchup with history between the two head coaches.
“I was an intern with the Jets when (current head coach) Aaron Glenn was the starting cornerback, so I know Aaron well,” Morris said. “I’ve obviously been able to stay in contact with Aaron over the years and watched his coaching career grow. He’s been up there forming a young football team that’s ready to come out and play. He’s got some really good football players, so we’ll go up there and try to find a way to win.”
Morris didn’t give an update on London’s availability for Week 13, but addressed the importance of keeping Penix and rookie cornerback Billy Bowman Jr. — who tore his Achilles in practice on Friday — in the loop.
“You definitely want to keep those guys fresh,” Morris said. “You want to keep those guys within the game plans. You definitely want to keep those guys knowing exactly what’s going on.”
