Who Should I Start? Kirk Cousins or Hendon Hooker

Monday, August 4, 9:24 AM

The Atlanta Falcons will not play quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins in the team's first preseason game on Friday against the Detroit Lions, according to head coach Raheem Morris. Easton Stick and Emory Jones are the quarterbacks on Atlanta's depth chart behind their top two guys, so they will presumably split snaps against Detroit. Penix Jr. is expected to enter the season as the starter for Atlanta after taking over for Cousins in Week 16 of 2024. The veteran Cousins had been the subject of some trade speculation during the offseason, but it appears Atlanta is planning to keep him in place as the backup. In 14 games last year, the 36-year-old completed 66.9% of his passes for 3,508 yards, throwing 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. There's not much that Cousins needs to prove in preseason action at this point in his career.

Saturday, August 9, 8:53 AM

Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker had a rough outing in his team's second preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night. Hooker completed seven of ten pass attempts for just 38 yards and lost two fumbles. The third-year quarterback got the start after playing behind veteran Kyle Allen in the Lions' first preseason game, but Hooker was pulled in the middle of the second quarter against the Falcons. Hooker and Allen are competing for the backup quarterback job in Detroit behind Jared Goff. The competition has been open throughout training camp, but Hooker may have fallen behind Allen with his poor showing on Friday night.