Kirk Cousins' Achilles recovery could be robbing him of his superpower

It was abundantly clear Kirk Cousins was not even close to 100 percent during his Atlanta Falcons debut. While he threw the only touchdown pass in the game, his passes did lack zip on it. He was picked off a few times, missing a few easy targets as well. Even more concerning, Cousins operated entirely in the shotgun, or out of the pistol if you will, in Zac Robinson's Sean McVay-inspired offense.

Cousins may have played into another offshoot of this offense during his final years with the Minnesota Vikings under Kevin O'Connell, but where was the play-action? This is one of the best parts of Cousins' game. His ability to sell the run allows him to be even more accurate. Cousins has had tremendous staying power in the league because of his incredibly accuracy running an offense.

However, you could tell that mobility was a major concern for him still coming off a major Achilles injury. This may have played a part in Atlanta taking former Washington star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Atlanta hopes it can squeeze the last little bit out juice out of Cousins' prime. The Falcons better hope they did not pay a premium for a lemon last winter.

To further explain what is going on, ESPN's Mina Kimes and Domonique Foxworth broke this all down.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' pass rush played a huge part in the defeat, but Cousins needs to get healthy!

Kirk Cousins may be deprived of his greatest weapon as an NFL passer

To be fair, we are not really going to have a good understanding of what Cousins can and cannot do physically as the Falcons' quarterback until the New Orleans Saints game in Week 4. Atlanta may have the easiest schedule in football this year, but drawing the Steelers, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs right out of the gate is so beyond brutal. Is Robinson is trying to protect him?

As I was watching the Falcons gradually lose control of the game to the Steelers last Sunday, I started to understand that Pittsburgh quickly began to adjust to what we were all seeing. Cousins couldn't move. He stayed in shotgun or the pistol, doing on three or five-step drops. This impacted the running game a bit, preventing Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to some extent from going downhill.

While it may have been by design to help protect Cousins, it left poor Kaleb McGary out to dry. He had no chance trying to contain T.J. Watt all by himself throughout the game. It would have helped if Kyle Pitts had a remote clue how to block anyone, but thanks for being wide-open in the corner of the end zone! Overall, Atlanta looked like a team with promise, but was being held back for some reason.

Atlanta's season is not over after an 0-3 start, but Cousins can't get rag dolled after his major injury.