What record does Falcons QB Kirk Cousins have against the Saints?

Quarterback Kirk Cousins will get the start when the Atlanta Falcons visit the New Orleans Saints this Sunday. Atlanta starter Michael Penix suffered an ACL injury in last week's loss to the Carolina Panthers that will likely sideline him for the rest of the year. This will be the second start of the season for Cousins, who also filled in for Penix during a Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins. In that game, Cousins completed 21 of 31 throws for 173 yards in a 34-10 loss. After coming in for Penix against Carolina, Cousins was just 6 of 14 for 48 yards. He has yet to throw a touchdown pass or interception in three game appearances this season.

A 14-year NFL veteran, the 37-year old Cousins is in his second season with the Falcons. He started 14 games for Atlanta a year ago, going 7-7 with a 66.9% completion percentage, 3,508 passing yards, 18 touchdown passes, and an NFL-high 16 interceptions. Cousins has 160 starts with an 83-75-2 record over his career with the Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, and Washington Redskins. He has a 66.9% career completion percentage with 43,229 yards and 288 touchdowns with 126 interceptions.

Including one playoff matchup, the Saints are quite familiar with Kirk Cousins. New Orleans has faced Cousins eight times over his time in the NFL, managing only a 4-4 record. The most devastating of those four losses was a 26-20 overtime defeat to Cousins and his Vikings during a 2020 wild-card playoff game at home in the Superdome. Cousins completed 19 of 31 passes in that game for 242 yards including the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime to pull off the upset victory.

Cousins has a 66.9% completion percentage over his career against the Saints, averaging 294.4 yards per game and throwing 14 touchdowns against 4 interceptions while being sacked 20 times. He's thrown for over 300 yards four times against New Orleans, though his teams have won only one of those contests. Cousins has a 1-3 career record when he plays the Saints in New Orleans, with that playoff upset being the only victory. In those four games he has a completion percentage of 64.1% with an average of 290.3 yards per outing with 7 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 9 sacks.

While with the Falcons, Cousins started two games against the Saints last season. New Orleans and Atlanta split those games, with each team winning in their home stadium. In those games, Cousins completed 60% of his throws for 544 yards with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions while being sacked 4 times. He threw for 306 yards in a 20-17 loss at New Orleans last November.

Cousins leads an Atlanta passing game that averaged 212.8 yards per game behind Penix, ranking 18th in the league. The Saints will counter with the NFL's 9th-ranked defense against the pass, allowing an average of 193.7 yards per outing. New Orleans comes into this game with a 2-8 record, while Atlanta comes in at 3-7 on a five-game losing streak.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: What record does Falcons QB Kirk Cousins have against the Saints?