From a spectator’s perspective on Sunday, Cousins ​​appeared largely immobile, unable to escape the pocket and at times unable to fully deploy his plant leg. He completed 16 of 26 passes for 155 yards (second-fewest in a season opener of his career) with one touchdown and two interceptions for a 59.0 passer rating.

According to Morris, some of Cousins’ issues could be due to “rust” from being out for so long.

The Falcons’ game plan seemed to belie Morris’ insistence that Cousins ​​was healthy. Atlanta put the QB under center once (a Bijan Robinson 10-yard run). Cousins ​​averaged just 3.1 scramble yards per dropback, a full yard fewer than in any other game he’s played in the past nine seasons, according to Next Gen Stats. He caught 26 of 50 plays from the pistol. Most astonishingly, the Falcons didn’t execute a single play-action pass, a staple of the Sean McVay system, from which new Atlanta OC Zac Robinson came.

“It all depends on the situation of the game plan of who you’re playing,” Morris said when asked if Cousins’ health affected play-calling. “When you go out there and you put those guys in what we do and how we want to play and you try to put those guys in good positions to block those guys, the aliens that the Pittsburgh Steelers have, you’ve got to try to figure those things out.”

The Steelers defense, including “alien” TJ Watt, certainly deserves credit for confusing Cousins ​​and the Falcons offense. But there were more problems than just running into a good defense.

“I thought we played winning football in two phases of the game, but in the attacking phase of the game we didn’t play winning football,” said Morris.

The hope in Atlanta is that Cousins ​​looks more mobile after shaking off the rust. However, with first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. waiting in the wings, if Cousins ​​and the offense continue to struggle, the questions will inevitably turn to whether Morris will give the rookie a run and bench his high-paid QB.