Kirk Cousins ​​​​”disappointed” in his debut with the Falcons

The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins ​​for four years and $180 million, creating expectations that the team would be immediately better on offense, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday.

The Falcons led 10-9 at halftime. They lost 18-10 in the second half, managing three first downs and a total of 51 yards.

That wasn’t what Cousins, the Falcons or Falcons fans had in mind.

“I was disappointed,” Cousins ​​said, according to the team transcript. “Disappointed for sure. You always go out there expecting to play at a high level and we didn’t live up to our standards today.”

Cousins ​​threw two interceptions, and he and center Drew Dalman botched a snap that sent the ball hitting the legs of a moving Ross Dwelley.

“The timing was not good,” Cousins ​​said. “It was my mistake, I made the move and asked for the ball, but the timing was not good. So you have to make a thousand shots and not make any mistakes, and that’s what we paid for today.”

Cousins ​​played his first game since tearing his Achilles tendon last season with the Vikings and finished the day completing 16 of 26 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

“We have to avoid critical mistakes,” Cousins ​​said. “We always say that, but we have to do it. I think if we do that and keep ourselves contained at distances, we showed today that we can be a productive offense. But if we hurt ourselves, it’s hard to overcome that.”

Cousins, 36, did not play in the preseason. He was asked if the offense might have played better Sunday if it had.

“It’s hard to say,” Cousins ​​said. “I think the key is that we’re healthy for Week 1, and that’s really been the focus. There are no excuses. You have to be ready to go when you’re called on, no matter what. Today was definitely no different.”