NFL fans react to Kirk Cousins' Falcons taking on Steelers in 2024 season opener - "We’ll see Penix enter by the 4th quarter"

An NFL schedule leak has the Atlanta Falcons playing the Pittsburgh Steelers during Week 1 of the upcoming season. The NFL official schedule release isn't going to become official until Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET, but plenty of games have already been leaked to the media.

The Falcons are going to be one of the most interesting teams to follow throughout the 2024 season. They're the early favorites in the NFC South, but after signing Kirk Cousins and drafting Michael Penix Jr. in the first round, they attracted a lot of controversy for themselves. And they didn't really need to.

NFL fans reacted to Atlanta's schedule leak by pointing out the quarterback controversy created by the own team during the offseason, noting that every time something bad happens to Kirk Cousins or the team, the shadow of Michael Penix will be there.

Other fans didn't forget that Arthur Smith, their former head coach, became the Steelers' offensive coordinator for the 2024 season - and the revenge game discourse also showed up.

"Russell Wilson is so bad they gave Arthur Smith a week 1 revenge game over him", said one fan.

"There's going to be a crowd of boos for Arthur Smith", pointed out another Atlanta fan.

With Kirk Cousins also returning from a serious injury, the curiosity of him playing for a new team also grabbed the attention.

"Good match up. We're gonna find out quick if Kirk is back to his old self and not hindered by the Achilles. Getting thrown against TJ first game back is tough" was one of the opinions.

Why is Kirk Cousins under threat in the Atlanta Falcons?

The Atlanta Falcons made what was easily the most bizarre pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, with the team using the 8th overall pick on quarterback Michael Penix Jr. from Washington. Not only Penix is a reach at this point, but the Falcons just gave Kirk Cousins a four-year contract that lasts the same as Penix's rookie contract.

The Washington prospect had a great collegiate career, but he has had a fair share of issues in the past. He's already 24, had torn ACLs on both his knees, and will be 28 at the end of his first contract, hinting at Atlanta's potentially unnecessary gamble on the quarterback.