Raheem Morris calls out his quarterback despite much needed win

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris called out his quarterback Monday night despite the Falcons securing a win and staying within striking distance in the NFC South. Following the Falcons' 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Morris told reporters that quarterback Kirk Cousins needs to improve his game.

"He's got to play better. We have to find a way to get him to play better," Morris said after the game. "We have to play better at the quarterback position."

Cousins finished 11-for-17 with 112 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but did enough offensively for the Falcons to win. He agreed with Morris' assessment of the quarterback position.

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"I need to play better, I don't think that's a mystery," Cousins said. "I think the last few weeks I would say I need to play better and Raheem says it but it's stating the obvious. Every week you kind of go through the process and you plan to go out there and play the very best you can and this week will be no different."

Entering Monday's game against the Raiders, Cousins had gone four straight games without a touchdown pass, all games the Falcons lost. He got the monkey off his back late in the first quarter thanks to a 30-yard touchdown pass to Drake London that opened the game's scoring. Cousins' interception on the first play of the third quarter, though, marked the fifth straight game with a pick. He's thrown nine in the Falcons' last five games.

Atlanta is now 7-7, one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South standings. The Falcons won both games against the Buccaneers already, meaning they have the tiebreaker. However, if Cousins continues to play like he has over Atlanta's 1-4 stretch, winning the division will be a tall task.

The Falcons need to win one more game than the Buccaneers over the final three weeks to secure an NFC South title and their first playoff appearance since 2017. Atlanta plays the New York Giants, Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers while the Buccaneers play the Dallas Cowboys, Panthers and New Orleans Saints. The battle for the NFC South will likely come down to Week 18.

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