Atlanta, GA
Will Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins Play in Preseason? ‘Calculated Deal’ says No
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins still distinctly remembers his first NFL preseason game, almost exactly 12 years removed from flying to Buffalo as a rookie with the now-Washington Commanders.
Cousins, a fourth-round rookie brought in to be first-round pick Robert Griffin III’s backup, had his parents in the stands, prompting the realization of how far he had come from his childhood playing days in Barrington, Illinois.
A similar thought crossed his mind when he saw linebacker Shawne Merriman, then entering his final season, line up across the ball.
And regardless of how the rest of his career unfolded, Cousins knew he’d always be able to claim taking the field in an NFL uniform.
“I remember thinking, ‘Well, if they cut me, I got to wear an NFL helmet for one game, and it was a dream just to be out there,’” Cousins said after Wednesday’s joint practice with the Miami Dolphins.
His first action came late in the first half — a two-minute drill with Washington leading 7-3. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, now the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, radioed into Cousins’s helmet once he entered the huddle, but didn’t start by giving the play call.
“How do you feel?” Shanahan asked. “First drive, two-minute drill, here we go.”
Cousins hit his first two throws, but his next two fell incomplete. His fifth pass was intercepted, ending the drive. Washington didn’t score with Cousins under center but hung onto a 7-6 win. Then just 23 years old, Cousins went 9-of-22 for 74 yards with one interception.
“It was not a productive game,” Cousins said. “But we moved the ball, and I had fun and got a lot of things covered. It was a good memory.”
But for Cousins, playing in preseason games has quickly become a distant memory — his last appearance came in 2021 with the Minnesota Vikings.
His two-year absence is expected to reach three over the next several weeks, starting at 7 p.m. Friday when the Falcons take on the Dolphins inside Hard Rock Stadium.
“Kirk won’t get nearly as much work in those type of situations, if any,” Morris said before Wednesday’s practice
Earlier in training camp, Cousins disclosed he and Morris had a brief, informal conversation in June about the preseason during which Morris essentially shut down any ideas of playing his nine-figure, 35-year-old quarterback.
Cousins, however, claimed he wants to play, citing the value in seeing live bullets. This is particularly relevant for Cousins, who is nine months removed from surgery on his ruptured right Achilles and has been knocked to the ground just once — an accidental hit from a Falcons defensive lineman in the open practice Aug. 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Further, Cousins still sees things happen each day that tell him the Falcons need to get up to speed. He wants the offense to look like it has worked together for 10 years even though the core first united less than five months ago. Atlanta grows closer to that goal each day, Cousins believes, but an in-game test may hasten the development.
Yet Cousins also grasps the argument for not playing and is ultimately at peace with Morris and the staff’s decision.
“I think it’s a calculated deal,” Cousins said Wednesday. “If you could promise me I’m coming out feeling no worse for the wear, absolutely. I’d love to play all four quarters, but the reality is that you can’t promise me that. You have to be calculated and say, risk versus reward.
“Let’s get all we can in these two days, and then we’ll protect you is really the thought process.”
Cousins noted the precautionary measure has long been commonplace in the NFL, and he understands where his responsibilities shift during the exhibition affairs — while not playing physically, he’s still mentally engaged.
The four-time Pro Bowler said he’ll be standing on the sideline with an earpiece in, listening to the play calls while looking at the coverages and deciphering where he’d go with the ball and how he’d work through progressions.
“You’re kind of playing the game from the sideline as you’re watching,” Cousins said.
When Atlanta’s offense hits the field Friday night, it won’t be reinventing the wheel in terms of schematic looks. Plays will be straightforward, with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson not wanting to give anything away.
Still, it’s an opportunity for Cousins to simulate — mentally, not physically — the new offense he’s in. On the field, however, several players get the chance to taste the same sense of accomplishment Cousins did 12 years to the day.
“I remember saying to (my parents) after the game, ‘I had a lot of fun because you’re just able to play football,’” Cousins said. “There’s not as much riding on a regular season game or a college game that you’re starting.
“So, you really just get to play the game that you love, and I think that’s a real positive to these preseason games.”
But on Friday night, Cousins appears unlikely to get that chance — and while he won’t fear his job security as he did when he ran through Buffalo’s tunnel in 2012, his mind may be set on another worry: Week 1 readiness.
Atlanta, GA
8 St. Paddy’s Day things to do in Atlanta that don’t involve green beer
Watch dance, listen to music, eat and enjoy Irish contributions to American life.
Atlanta Irish Dance performers will appear at several locations on St. Patrick’s Day, including Marlay House Irish Pub in Decatur and Glover Park Brewery in Marietta. (Courtesy of Atlanta Irish Dance)
By Felicia Feaster – For the AJC
2 hours ago
Sure, you could spend your St. Patrick’s Day drinking Guinness and Jameson and spend the next day feeling like a torn stocking. But this St. Patrick’s Day in Atlanta, there are a number of other ways to celebrate on the days leading up to, and on, the March 17 holiday with Irish music and dance, authentic stews and puddings, an Irish-accented cemetery stroll and even a charitable event in the mix.
Enjoy a beverage and Irish dancing
Atlanta Irish Dance performers participate in the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day parade the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day. But dancers will also get their jig on at several locations on St. Patrick’s Day, Atlanta Irish Dance co-founder Emma Burke said, including area retirement homes, Marlay House Irish Pub in Decatur and Glover Park Brewery in Marietta.
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Play golf in the Shamrock Scramble
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Watch wrestling at an Irish pub
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Experience a day of Irish music
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.pu .m.p .moc.esuohcilbupsylliero dna 03:11-.m.a ,yadseuT etiuS .sgnirpS sgnirpS ydnaS ydnaS cilbuP ecalP s’yllieR’O ,EN hcraM ,esuoH ,614 ,8508-348-404 722 12 ,71 03:11 ,01$
Visitors to historic Oakland Cemetery can check out the Hibernian Benevolent Society area to appreciate the history of Irish people in Atlanta. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)
Visit notable Irish Atlantans at Oakland Cemetery
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Watch the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Parade
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Murphy’s owners Matt McCarthy, executive chef, and his father, Gregg, former chef at the restaurant. The Virginia Highland eatery will serve authentic Irish favorites on St. Paddy’s Day. (Natrice Miller/ AJC)
Enjoy an Irish family meal
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St. Baldrick’s at Fadó Irish Pub — Buckhead
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Atlanta, GA
Cancellations, delays continue at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The trouble for travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport continued Sunday as rain persisted in metro Atlanta.
As of 5 p.m. Sunday, 487 flights have been delayed and 124 have been canceled.
TSA wait times have also ballooned; passengers going through the main checkpoint should expect to wait upwards of an hour, and those going through the north checkpoint should expect to wait more than 30 minutes.
The airport said, “The delays are the result of residual impacts from two ground stops issued on Friday, which created a temporary backlog in passenger volumes, combined with current TSA staffing constraints.”
The delays added to a disastrous weekend for Hartsfield-Jackson. Travelers on Saturday described hourslong tarmac waits, missed connections and overnight strandings after storms triggered mass cancellations and delays.
The Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines received the bulk of travelers’ frustration. The airline released a statement to Atlanta News First addressing the tarmac delays.
“We apologize to our customers, as we know that a delay on the tarmac waiting for an arrival gate is frustrating. Delta people worked through severe weather challenges in ATL that drove gating constraints overnight,” the company said. “The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority.”
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.
Atlanta, GA
Youth, served: Real Salt Lake pulls past Atlanta United to keep fast start
SANDY — Three games into the 2026 campaign and Real Salt Lake has a formula for success.
Spoiler alert: the kids are (still) all right.
Aiden Hezarkhani scored a goal for the second-straight week, rookie Sergi Solans added his first professional, and Real Salt Lake served its youth again en route to a 3-2 win over Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Fellow teenager Zavier Gozo also scored for Real Salt Lake, the Utah native’s first of the season after his breakout four-goal, three-assist campaign last year to help his home side improve to 2-1-0.
Aleksei Miranchuk had a brace for Atlanta, which fell to 0-3 while being outscored 7-2 a year after struggling to a 5-16-13 campaign.
“It was a shootout,” RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said. “This was one of those games that was super exciting. It’s a real credit to the group on both sides of the ball. I thought we were really deliberate … and defensively, we were great against a top attacking group.
“We knew it was going to be difficult. But the guys weathered the storm … and we challenged the group to dig deep, to defend our box, and manage the game the right way.”
Salt Lake, meanwhile, has won two of its first three matches — even with a shorthanded roster. The club lost Diego Luna (knee) and Victor Olatunji (eye) to injuries during the same training session before the season opener in Vancouver, and former U.S. international fullback DeAndre Yedlin picked up a hamstring injury last week.
But if adversity spawns opportunity, Real Salt Lake’s rising generation is taking advantage of either — or both. Give credit, too, to the veteran players for bringing along the youth that also include 17-year-old Luca Moisa — and not skip a beat.
“It’s like a brotherhood,” Mastroeni said. “There’s no guy that’s bigger than the team.”
Gozo and Morgan Guilavogui nearly connected for a goal just 49 seconds into the match, but the newly signed Designated Player making his first start saw his shot tipped over the cross bar.
Instead, Guilavogui gave the visitors the early lead midway through the first half, slipping a brilliant through ball behind the defense to Solans for the clinical finish in the 23rd minute.
Solans was selected with the 30th overall pick of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft by Salt Lake, who traded $50,000 in general allocation money to the LA Galaxy in select the Spanish native.
But instead of signing forthright with the club, Solans elected to return to collect for one more year and the 22-year-old alumnus of Spain’s Girona FC academy returned to UCLA and scored a team-high 16 goals with six assists in 19 matches en route to All-American second-team honors and a program record-breaking third hat trick in the Big Ten Tournament final.
“Sergi doesn’t necessarily have top-end speed,” Mastroeni said, “but he has top-end timing. When you threaten the back line, you don’t have to have the fastest speed. But you do have to have the right timing.
“You’ve got to make plays — and that’s what making plays looks like.”
Hezarkhani doubled the lead in the 27th minute, gaining possession of the ball in the final third with his chest off an angled touch from Solans before sliding a right-footed shot from the center of the box that put Salt Lake up 2-0.
It’s the second goal in as many matches for Hezarkhani, the 18-year-old academy alumnus who had six goals with four assists in 21 matches (19 starts) for Salt Lake’s third-division affiliate Real Monarchs a year ago.
Miranchuk pulled one back for the home side in the 38th minute, scoring Atlanta’s first goal of 2026 with one touch from Elias Baez from the center of the box to cut the deficit to 2-1.
But Gozo finished a counter initiated by Philip Quinton and Justen Glad with his left less than two minutes later to push Salt Lake back in front 3-1 at halftime.
After a series of second-half introductions including the halftime debut of Utah native and former Corner Canyon High standout Griffin Dillon for RSL, Miranchuk added another for Atlanta in the 74th minute to cut the deficit to 3-2.
But Rafael Cabral made two saves on 16 shots faced to help the visitors hold on for their second straight win.
Real Salt Lake returns home next Saturday, March 14 to host Austin FC (7:30 p.m. MDT, Apple TV) before a road trip to San Diego FC.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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