Tag: Kirk Cousins

Tarheeb Still steals show in Chargers’ win over Falcons: ‘Drug test that man’

The rookie out of Maryland was a ball magnet in Sunday’s victory over the Falcons.

On a day when the Chargers’ offense was a non-factor, the defense stepped up. While it was a collaborative effort, rookie cornerback Tarheeb Still was the biggest difference-maker en route to victory over the Falcons.

Still, the fifth-round pick out of Maryland, had three passes defended and two interceptions, including one that he returned for a 61-yard touchdown.

On the play where Still returned for a score, Darnell Mooney ran an out route. Kirk Cousins did not recognize the coverage, so he threw to Mooney. Still broke, jumped the route and housed it.

After Still’s dominant performance, Daiyan Henley said, “Drug test that man.”

What was said as a joke was actually a reality, as Still was randomly selected to be drug tested. He posted a picture of the slip on his locker on his Instagram story.

Los Angeles held Atlanta to just 13 points as they picked their eighth win of the season.

Falcons head coach addresses possibility of benching Kirk Cousins

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris was asked about potentially benching Kirk Cousins after four-interception game

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is in no hurry to bench Kirk Cousins after the quarterback’s four-interception performance in Sunday’s 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Morris was asked if he would consider a quarterback change but didn’t sound eager about making a move. It’s hard to ignore the possibility though, considering Cousins has thrown six interceptions over the last three weeks without a touchdown.

“We’ve got no issues with that,” Morris said after the game. “I don’t think that’s going to be an issue around here… there’s no better man than 18 to (play quarterback) for us.”

Morris credited Cousins for what he’s done to get the team in playoff position with a realistic chance at hosting a postseason game.  And even on a three-game losing streak, the Falcons still sit atop the NFC South with everything in front of them.

“That guy has been carrying us all season,” said Morris. “He’s done a marvelous job and it’s hard to throw the guy under the bus… we’ll bounce back, we’ll bring him back and we will be ready to go.”

Morris also said that he did not consider making a change to rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at any point in the game, and the team will roll with Cousins.

“I have no doubt he will bounce back and be ready to go, especially against his former team.”

It will be interesting to see how Cousins fares against the Minnesota Vikings in the stadium where he spent the last six seasons of his career.

While Morris is sticking by his quarterback for the time being, he has one simple request.

“Don’t turn the ball over. It’s really simple.”

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Quick facts from the Commanders’ Week 13 win over the Titans

We look at some quick and numbers from the Commanders’ Week 13 win.

The Commanders scored 21 first-quarter points and were on their way to their 42-19 victory over the Tennessee Titans at Northwest Stadium.

Here are some of the quick facts from the 8th win of the Commanders’ season:

  • The Commanders possessed the ball today 40:13, more than double that of the Titans, who had it only 19:47.
  • The 42 points scored by the Commanders was the fifth time this season they scored 30+ points. The last time that occurred was the 9-7, 2015 season, quarterbacked by Kirk Cousins.
  • Washington ran the ball 45 times, while the Titans ran it 11 times. No typo; the Commanders outrushed the Titans 267-35.
  • Speaking of rushing, Brian Robinson finished with 103 yards on 16 carries. Not far behind, Chris Rodriguez ran 13 times for 94 yards.
  • This is the third time the Commanders scored 40+ points this season; the last time that occurred was the 1991 season (four times) on their way to a 14-2 season and Super Bowl XXVI win.
  • Jayden Daniels completed 25 of 30 passing attempts (83 percent) for 206 yards (6.9 yards per attempt).
  • The Commanders accomplished 29 first downs today, holding the Titans to a mere 12, had the advantage in total plays 77-50, and out-gained the Titans 463-245.
  • With his eighth sack of the season today, Frankie Luvu now has his new career high.
  • The Commanders’ eighth win of this 2024 season doubles the four wins of the 2023 team. The eighth win of the season also ties the best season Ron Rivera had (2022, 8-8-1) in all four of his seasons.
  • In the final quarter, Jayden Daniels passed to Zach Ertz for a 4-yard TD. It was the 50th career touchdown reception.
  • When the Commanders expanded the lead to 28-0, the Titans had run a total of 13 offensive plays at that point. At this point, the Titans had four offensive possessions ending with two punts and two fumbles in their own territory. On the other side, the Commanders’ first four possessions ended in four touchdowns.
  • Today, Bobby Wagner reached 100+ tackles for the 13th straight season. The only other player to accomplish this feat was London Fletcher, who reached 100+ tackles in 14 consecutive seasons.

Former Saints DB has standout performance in first game with his new team

Former Saints safety Marcus Maye was cut by the Dolphins this week, but signed with the Chargers and had a standout performance against the Falcons:

Former New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Maye has had a whirlwind of a week. He was cut by the Miami Dolphins early in the week, and then signed by the Los Angeles Chargers to fill in for safety Alohi Gilman who went on IR.

And in his first game with the Chargers, Maye had a very strong showing, ending the game with 3 tackles, an interception in the endzone, and a pass deflection. On top of that, he also broke up a pass on the last drive to Drake London, getting his hand between London and the ball, and forcing it away.

Maye did not get an exceptional amount of playing time with the Dolphins, as despite playing in 11 games, he only had three starts, with 293 defensive snaps (43%) and 111 special teams snaps (39%). These 293 snaps were lower than his 2021 total of 362 in only six games played for reference, so he had seen the field sparingly rather than as a full-time safety.

On top of all of that, he contributed to a 17-13 Chargers win over the Atlanta Falcons, with his interception being one of four off of Kirk Cousins in the game. This pushed the Falcons down to a 6-6 record, and helped the Chargers up to a 8-4 record. He is helping the Saints from beyond the roster, and giving them a chance to get back into the race for the NFC South division lead.

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Falcons falls to Chargers as Kirk Cousins throws four interceptions

The Chargers made the day miserable for the Falcons and Kirk Cousins

Could Michael Penix Jr. time be near in Atlanta? Kidding. Sort of. Kind of. Maybe>

The Los Angeles Chargers picked off four Kirk Cousins passes on Sunday and held on for a 17-13 victory over the inconsistent Falcons.

The Chargers have won five of six and the Falcons fell to 6-6.

Cousins threw a pick-six, was intercepted in the end zone and threw another pick on the final Falcons drive.

The Chargers won despite being outgained in total offense 350-187.

Falcons lose due to multiple Kirk Cousins turnovers, keeping Saints’ hopes alive

The Falcons lost to the Chargers on Sunday due to multiple Kirk Cousins turnovers, keeping the Saints’ playoff hopes alive:

Don’t look now, but there might be a quarterback change on the horizon for the Atlanta Falcons. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw the game away in their Sunday loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, who won 17-13, which teed up a fascinating scenario for the New Orleans Saints as they prepare for kickoff with the Los Angeles Rams. How did we get here?

Cousins played one of the worst games of his pro career, throwing four interceptions without a touchdown pass. One of those interceptions was credited to former Saints safety Marcus Maye, who arrived in Los Angeles just this week after being waived by the Miami Dolphins. Talk about making the most of your opportunity.

As for the implications on the NFC South? That remains to be seen, but for now the Saints are still in this. The Saints go into their game with the LA Rams at 4-7, trailing the Falcons (now at 6-6) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6), who visit the upstart Carolina Panthers (3-8) this afternoon.

Everything depends on the Saints sending the Rams away from New Orleans with a loss, but at this point the division — and the coveted playoff berth — are within reach for Darren Rizzi’s team.

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Kirk Cousins nonchalantly lobbed a pass into the end zone for the most puzzling interception

What was he even thinking there?

While Kirk Cousins has certainly elevated the Falcons into a playoff contender, the past few games have been brutal for the $180 million quarterback. And on Sunday, we saw what might have been Cousins’ worst throw of the season.

Heading into the fourth quarter of Atlanta’s Week 13 game against the Chargers, Cousins was in the middle of a touchdown drought that went back to the Falcons’ Nov. 3 win against the Cowboys. And it as clear that Cousins was forcing passes in hopes of breaking that drought.

Having already thrown a pair of interceptions (including a pick six), Cousins lobbed a third-and-goal pass to Darnell Mooney with three defenders in the area. Marcus Maye easily came down with the interception, but really, it was unclear what Cousins was even thinking with that pass.

Mooney wasn’t open. Coverage was blanketing that area of the end zone. And it made zero sense to put absolutely nothing on the pass.

Interceptions don’t get much more puzzling than that.

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Chargers highlight: Tarheeb Still’s second interception gives Los Angeles the lead

Tarheeb Still is on a tear.

Tarheeb Still is on a tear.

After intercepting Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins in the second quarter to give the Chargers some much-needed momentum, Still mostly watched Atlanta throw it to the other side of the field or run the ball.

That was a good strategy for the Falcons, who have continued to move the ball effectively against Jesse Minter’s defense. Atlanta put together another long drive late in the third quarter, driving with a 10-9 lead while converting a fourth down to take the ball over midfield.

The Chargers, meanwhile, had asked Ladd McConkey to be the entire offense. A normally dormant Falcons pass rush has sacked Justin Herbert four times, making things hard for LA all day.

Los Angeles needed a spark.

Still provided it when the Falcons went for a second fourth down of the drive, dropping back to pass on 4th-and-5 from the Chargers’ 40-yard line. Still and safety Marcus Maye confused Cousins on the coverage, giving the rookie a prime opportunity to jump a curl route and nearly walk into the end zone from 61 yards away.

The Chargers went for two after that. Justin Herbert fired a strike over the middle to Joshua Palmer, making it 17-10 Chargers with 1:39 left in the third quarter.

Chargers highlight: Tarheeb Still picks off Kirk Cousins

Tarheeb Still has had a great rookie season.

How good has Tarheeb Still been this season?

Many were surprised by the fifth-round pick, as the former Maryland product spent most of the pre-draft process as an anonymous name, but injuries and Still’s great play have landed him in the lineup more and more often this season.

With fellow rookie Cam Hart out with an ankle injury and Asante Samuel Jr. still on injured reserve with a shoulder issue, Still has once again been pressed into action on Sunday against the Falcons. The Chargers struggled to gain momentum in the first quarter, as a Hassan Haskins fumble set up a touchdown for the Falcons.

But on the first play of the second quarter, Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins double-clutched a throw to avoid having his arm hit by a Chargers pass rusher. The action allowed Still to come off a deep route from Drake London and drive on a curl route underneath, jumping the route and intercepting Cousins to get the Chargers the ball back.

It’s Still’s second interception of the season, and it comes at a time when Los Angeles seemed to be searching for answers on defense.

The Chargers turned the ensuing drive into a 51-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker, cutting the lead to 7-6.

Staff predictions for Chargers vs. Falcons

Find out who the Chargers Wire staff is picking between Los Angeles and Atlanta in Week 13.

The Los Angeles Chargers kick off Week 13 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Who is going to come out victorious?

Here is a look at the predictions from each of our writers at Chargers Wire:

Gavino:

The Chargers look to bounce back after losing to the Ravens last Monday. Los Angeles enters this game on a short week, while the Falcons come into this one well-rested after their bye. Offensively for the Bolts, I expect Justin Herbert to shred a Falcons defense that has struggled against the pass. On the other side of the ball, I see Jesse Minter’s unit getting back on track after surrendering 57 points combined in the last two weeks. Kirk Cousins is not on the same level as Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson. Bijan Robinson is also no Derrick Henry. Chargers 27, Falcons 21

Alex K:

Atlanta’s defense doesn’t have the resources to compete with Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey if both come out sharp, but the Falcons offense is getting healthier and has been effective moving the ball this season. Expect a fairly high-scoring affair that the Chargers can pull out with some key plays on special teams. Chargers 30, Falcons 23