FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons are prepared to rally behind slumping quarterback Kirk Cousins as he’s set to return to face his former team.
“I think it’s just really obvious how much he cares,” Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews said. “You can see that everywhere in the locker room.”
Cousins has been received well as he has helped the Falcons reach first place in the NFC South, and they are there with five games to play.
“Just a pro,” Matthews said. “A guy that, you’re not questioning if he’s completely in, or not working hard enough. There is no doubt about any of that stuff. A guy you want to play for, for sure.”
Cousins hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass and has thrown six interceptions over the Falcons’ three-game losing streak. He hopes to snap out of it when the Falcons (6-6) face the Vikings (10-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Cousins spent the six previous seasons with the Vikings before he signed a four-year contract worth up to $180 million with the Falcons in free agency this past offseason.
It was the Vikings who made Cousins a household name in the NFL when they gave him a three-year, fully guaranteed $84 million contract in 2018 after he spent six seasons with Washington and was given the franchise tag twice.
Cousins took the Vikings to the playoffs in 2019 (10-6) and 2022 (13-4) and was named to three Pro Bowls. Despite Cousins’ successes, the Vikings allowed him to reach free agency after last season.
“Well, it’s certainly unique,” Cousins said. “It’s not like everywhere you play on the road. You spent six years there, but with Washington and Minnesota, that is the case. So, we go to both those places this year. You’ll have memories come back to you when you’re in both places. But it’s part of the deal.”
Cousins noted that during the free-agency era, it’s rare for a player to play double-digit seasons with one team.
“I think the emotion is really gratitude,” Cousins said. “When you think back to (my time Minnesota), that’s kind of the word that comes to mind is just gratitude. When I arrived there as a free agent, they took a chance on me.”
Cousins, who was a fourth-round pick by Washington in 2012, reflected on teammates, coaches and the support staff who helped his career blossom.
“I mean, they really got me through my Achilles tear,” Cousins said. “The moment that I tore it until I left the free agency, they just handled everything so well in the training room. So, I just feel so much gratitude for those people. I think that’s the main emotion that I feel.”
As Cousins planned to rebound, he reflected on other tough times throughout his football journey. In high school he suffered a broken ankle as a junior and never thought he’d be able to play Division I football.
He got a scholarship to Michigan State. The year he was drafted in Washington, the team took Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick, and he had a dead-end job.
“It feels like you got six years at a place that was just such a great organization and great people around you and had a lot of success,” Cousins said. “You just look back and say, ‘Well, I’m so grateful for that.’”
Cousins planned to use the week of practice after throwing four interceptions Sunday to help get back on track. Earlier in the season, he passed for a career-high 509 yards in the 36-30 overtime win over Tampa Bay.
“You’ve got to get right back at it,” Cousins said. “Come out to practice with the gloves on, ready to go. So, you need to have that at the same time you don’t brush over anything either. You understand that you can use it as kind of an edge. Hey, we got to play better. So, I kind of take it that way, those two ways.”
Cousins has thrown 17 touchdown passes and leads the league with 13 interceptions.
“So, that’s what you sign up for with pro football, when you start the season in September, there is probably going to be a loss or two that’s going to eat at you,” Cousins said. “But at this point you got to move forward. You got to learn from it and then try to play your best now this Sunday.”
Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is counting on Cousins to rebound.
“Kirk is Kirk,” Robinson said. “I mean, he’s played a lot of football. He’s been through a lot of highs and lows, just like all these guys who’ve played this long in the NFL.”
That experience will help him put that four-interception game against the Chargers, the second of his career, behind him.
“You don’t want those games to happen, you know, as an individual effort,” Robinson said. “But Kirk’s going to keep swinging. He’s going to keep shooting. He’s just going to get back at it and get back to work. ... He’ll bounce back. We know he will.”
Cousins was named the NFC’s offensive player of the week twice in October, before losing his way in November.
“Everything in the NFL is so week-to-week based,” Robinson said. “Like the Tampa game, that feels a long time ago. Even the Dallas game feels (like) a long time (ago).”
The Falcons’ most recent win was over the Cowboys on Nov. 3.
“There’s certainly things that we feel like we’ve done well, and there’s things, like I said, really situationally that we’ve got to be better,” Robinson said. “We’re looking at all those things and making sure we have the right solutions.”
Cousins has consulted with Robinson and coach Raheem Morris, in face-to-face meetings and not over voice memos, after the disturbing loss to the Chargers.
“Had a good conversation about the game and where I can be better for him and vice versa,” Robinson said. “All those things that we really clean up every single Monday. It was nothing different. Obviously, we just addressed everything and flushed it as soon as we walked out of the building and got a fresh start, obviously, starting on Tuesday.”
Cousins is expecting a hostile environment.
“They’re great football fans, and I would think as a result, they’ll make it as hostile as they can for us,” Cousins said. “So, it’s a great fan base.”
Once the ball is kicked off, all of the emotions and friendships will take a back seat to the game.
“I think between the whistles, you’re not thinking about that as much,” Cousins said. “You’re just trying to go win a football game. So, I don’t know that it is too different when you’re playing, but you know, certainly postgame, there’ll be a lot of people to say hello to and thank.”
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