Falcons latest QB decision might help gift wrap an NFC South title for the Bucs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers jumped into first place in the NFC South after winning their Week 14 game against the Raiders while the Atlanta Falcons continued to lose. The Falcons were once the frontrunners to win the division after getting off to a 6-3 start while the Bucs were 4-6 and looked to be fizzling out.

Fortunately, the Bucs have rebounded and are now 7-6 after winning three straight games while the Falcons are 6-7 after losing their last four games. This has allowed Tampa to jump Atlanta in the NFC South standings and whoever doesn't win the division won't be making the postseason.

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Well, the Falcons just hopefully ensured that they'd continue to lose, as head coach Raheem Morris pledged his loyalty to current starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. This is a bit of a hot take to have right now considering that Cousins has thrown zero touchdowns and eight interceptions during the team's losing streak.

"I told you right from the beginning, [Penix is] our future. And to be able to have the respect, to be able to have the confidence, to be able to have the wherewithal to support Kirk and all this stuff, too, it's a great learning lesson for him as well. So, when you go through all that process, you can look at different organizations [that have] pulled the trigger and put guys out there too early and it's gone terrible, and I don't want to be that guy."

Falcons sticking with Kirk Cousins should help Bucs win NFC South

This is even funnier when you take into account that the Falcons spent the eighth overall pick on Washington's Michael Penix Jr. a little over a month after they paid Cousins $180 million despite the former Vikings quarterback coming off an Achilles injury the season prior. Even with Cousins' poor performance, Morris is sticking with his guy and this is music to Bucs fans' ears.

The Bucs have to make sure they finish at least one game ahead of Atlanta due to the Falcons owning the season sweep over them. Tampa finishes the season against the Chargers, Cowboys, Panthers, and Saints while Atlanta finishes against the Raiders, Giants, Commanders, and Panthers. The hope is that the Falcons continue to struggle behind Cousins and that putting Penix in continues to be an afterthought.

Penix might step out there and struggle, as rookie quarterbacks often do but he also could provide a spark for the Falcons. That's exactly what the Bucs don't want to happen. Hopefully the Falcons continue to stick with Cousins and he continues to drag them down so Tampa can win its fourth straight division title.