The Atlanta Falcons scored 29 points on Thursday night, marking their most since Week 4 against the Commanders. Kirk Cousins led the charge with 373 passing yards and three touchdowns, all for Kyle Pitts. The big change to propel the offense? The continued use of under-center play action.
The belief is that Zac Robinson and Raheem Morris lack confidence in Michael Penix’s ability to run this scheme effectively, but they’re confident in the 37-year-old to do so. Cousins had his best game of his season and out-performed every game of Penix’s career in Week 15 against the Buccaneers.
On top of that, Bijan Robinson added 93 yards rushing and a touchdown. If Cousins benefits from this play style, why not try it with Penix earlier in the year? This question was never answered despite being hotly discussed in late October before resurfacing a few weeks back.
It’s interesting to watch some of the best Falcons offense the last month has come from under center play action.
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) December 12, 2025
Finally, someone spoke up, and it was no other than ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky. The former NFL quarterback found it interesting that the Dirty Birds finally run their offense under center with Cousins and described the comeback victory as the best performance from the Falcons’ offense this season.
Dan Orlovsky knows Kirk Cousins is the long-term answer in Atlanta
In Week 14, Atlanta mustered just nine points against a stifling Seahawks defense. No amount of play-action could propel the Dirty Birds into victory formation after Cousins’ worst start of the year. Despite this blowout, the Falcons’ offense has been consistently scoring 23-27 points per week.
With Cousins leading the charge, the offense scores three points more on average than with Penix. The Falcons have lost four games by three points or less this season; this is a drastic difference, especially given they won his first start after Penix’s injury against the Saints.
This begs the question again: Why was play action not used more this season? The Falcons converted five of eleven third-down attempts Thursday night, the most in weeks. Entering Week 15, the Falcons ranked dead last in play-action rate and second in shotgun rate.
This inexplicable discrepancy makes no sense, and the offensive scheme change this late in the season is a waste. But even with no playoffs, the Falcons have three games remaining and the staff must use this opportunity as an audition to keep their jobs in 2026.
With question marks at quarterback, offensive schemes not up to par, and the coaching carousel looming, there’s plenty to figure out. The play-action worked on Thursday night, and more under center looks must be incorporated moving forward if this team wants to live up to its potential.
