Falcons feeling the pressure at .500 as Cousins' interceptions put spotlight on downturn for offense

ATLANTA (AP) — Even the woeful NFC South, where no team has a winning record, can't hide the Atlanta Falcons' offensive shortcomings.

Three straight setbacks, including an ugly 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, has left the Falcons 6-6 and feeling the pressure. Only a tiebreaker advantage over Tampa Bay has kept the Falcons atop the division.

Now the Falcons must prepare to visit streaking Minnesota, which has won five straight.

Veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett knows the Falcons must solve the flaws which have been exposed in the losing streak.

“It’s now or never,” Jarrett said. “You have to flip the mindset fast.”

Kirk Cousins threw four interceptions in the loss, matching his career high. Coach Raheem Morris said he didn't consider playing rookie Michael Penix Jr. against the Chargers and won't think about benching Cousins this week.

Morris acknowledged the Falcons can't expect to win when turning the ball over four times. It was the latest example of Atlanta's offensive decline.

In the three-game losing streak, Cousins has thrown six interceptions with no touchdowns. The Falcons were held under 20 points in each loss.

If not for the rash of interceptions which has contributed to the scoring problems, more attention would be devoted to the surge of big plays on defense.

The defense forced two fumbles and set a season high with five sacks, including two by Arnold Ebiketie. The Falcons ranked last in the league with only 10 sacks before finding success with their pass rush against Justin Herbert.

Herbert was forced to hold the ball while looking for an open receiver, so some credit for the pass-rush success belongs to Atlanta's secondary.

The Falcons gave up only two first downs in the second half and 187 yards for the game.

Cousins, 36, was expected to be the reliable leader on offense after he signed a four-year, $180 million contract. The four interceptions were his most since 2014 with Washington.

Cousins now will be in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons as he returns to Minnesota, his NFL home from 2018-23. Cousins has thrown 13 interceptions, one shy of his career high set in 2022. His passer rating of 90.8 is his lowest since his 86.4 mark as a part-time starter in 2014 with Washington.

“Certainly when you haven’t played at the standard you want to a few weeks in a row, you know, you do want to change that, turn it around,” Cousins said.

Running back Bijan Robinson had his busiest day of the season, perhaps in an attempt to take heat off Cousins.

Robinson's 26 carries set a career high. He ran for 102 yards with a touchdown, his third 100-yard game of the season. He also was heavily involved as a receiver with six catches for 33 yards.

With 135 yards from scrimmage, Robinson has eight games this season with more than 100 yards combined as a rusher and receiver, the second-most in the league.

Tight end Kyle Pitts had no catches on only two targets. He has only six catches in the last four games after appearing to establish momentum for a big season with two seven-catch games in a span of three weeks in October.

Morris noted the Falcons have “so many people that we've got to get the ball to” but noted he'd like to see Pitts more involved.

Younghoe Koo's hip issues were such a concern that kicker Riley Patterson was signed to the practice squad on Friday and added to the active roster Saturday. Patterson was on the inactive list as Koo was good on two of three field goals, missing from 35 yards.

Koo has made 21 of 29 attempts this season. He did not have more than five misses in any of his first five seasons with Atlanta.

70 — WR Drake London had nine receptions for 86 yards, giving him 70 catches for the season. London, a 2022 first-round draft pick, is the first player in team history with at least 65 receptions in each of his first three seasons. While Ray-Ray McCloud III led the team with a career-best 95 yards on four catches against the Chargers and Darnell Mooney has had some big games, London has been the most consistent receiver.

The Falcons face a difficult test Sunday in their visit to Minnesota (10-2), which has five straight wins and is 5-1 at home.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris watches from the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Atlanta Falcons defensive end Demone Harris (91) celebrates a sac against Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) during the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Atlanta.(AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Atlanta Falcons place-kicker Younghoe Koo (6) celebrates with teammate during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton (7) breaks up a pass intended for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (5) during the second half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson runs against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half of an NFL football game against the on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Atlanta.(AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) passes during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 3, 2024--

Kyocera, a global leader in rugged devices, today announced that its ultra-rugged DuraForce PRO 3 Android smartphone is now available and on display in Verizon retail stores* nationwide, free for eligible government customers and priced as low as 99 cents for eligible business customers. Designed for first responders, small/medium-sized businesses, construction, warehouse/ transportation workers, and anyone working in harsh environments, DuraForce PRO 3 can be found on Verizon’s SMB Business tables, where customers can get demonstrations and consult with Verizon representatives to qualify for special pricing. In addition, Kyocera is offering a 10 percent discount on select accessories including extra batteries, charging units, PTT headsets and more at its Solutions Store through January 3, 2025.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241203264596/en/

DuraForce PRO 3’s X-frame structure is designed to handle the toughest work environments with enterprise-level durability. Its protection against drops, dust, spills, and hazardous materials (MIL-STD 810H, IP68 dust and waterproof protection plus Class I, Div. 2 hazardous) 1, blazing 5G speeds and Wi-Fi 6E connection ensure reliable communications. DuraForce PRO 3 also supports Verizon One Talk 2 for seamless management of business and personal phone lines on a single device. Enhanced security features including dual SIMs for public and private network support, enterprise-grade Wi-Fi, and improved GPS dual-band location sensing help keep crews and data safe and secure.

According to VDC Research, rugged smartphones have been proven to deliver a 53 percent lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than non-rugged smartphones when supporting similar business and mission-critical frontline mobile applications. 3 Key features are packed into DuraForce PRO 3 to perform in the toughest vertical industries, including:

See a full list of DuraForce PRO 3 features here.

*Available at both Verizon retail stores and partner retailers. Actual device may not be on display in every store, but available in-stock when requested.

ABOUT KYOCERA

Kyocera International, Inc.’s Communications Equipment Group (CEG) is the headquarters for Kyocera wireless devices in the Americas. With a history of quality and innovation delivering many “firsts” to the U.S. market, Kyocera is the leader in rugged mobile solutions. Launching more than 100 waterproof and rugged mobile devices globally over the last 10+ years, Kyocera strives to offer rugged, reliable technology as an integral part of a total mobile offering: combining MIL-STD 810G/H-compliant ruggedization and enterprise-grade security with a partner ecosystem, industry-specific applications and innovative accessories. Working with leading service providers, Kyocera has created a “Total Solution” offering that helps deliver a significantly lower total cost of ownership to a wide range of industries such as public safety, transportation, and construction. White glove services including overnight advanced replacement, custom provisioning, repair and more, help improve productivity for business customers. When it comes to blending performance, durability and support, Kyocera’s rugged mobile solutions are in a class of their own. For more information, visit kyoceramobile.com or follow the company at facebook.com/kyoceramobile, twitter.com/kyoceramobile, youtube.com/kyoceramobile, instagram.com/kyoceramobile and linkedin.com/company/kyoceramobile.

Kyocera Corporation (TOKYO:6971, https://global.kyocera.com/ ), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as “advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of industrial and automotive components, semiconductor packages, electronic devices, LCDs, smart energy systems, printers, copiers, and mobile phones. During the year ended March 31, 2024, Kyocera Corporation’s consolidated sales revenue totaled 2.0 trillion Japanese yen (approx. US$13.3 billion). Kyocera is ranked #874 on Forbes magazine’s 2024 “Global 2000” list of the world’s largest publicly traded companies, and has been named among “The World’s 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies” by The Wall Street Journal.

© 2024 Kyocera International, Inc. (KII), San Diego, California, USA. All rights reserved. DuraForce PRO 3 is a trademark of Kyocera International, Inc. Android is a trademark of Google Inc.; use of this trademark is subject to Google Permissions. All other marks are held by their respective owners.

Kyocera DuraForce PRO 3 Android smartphone is now FREE for eligible government customers and 99 cents for eligible business customers at Verizon stores nationwide. (Photo: Business Wire)