Kirk Cousins needed a big moment Monday night. So are the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons’ offense had just two touchdowns on the season when Cousins scored with 1:39 left in the game, needing a touchdown and going 70 yards for the win. Suddenly the cousins came to life.
Cousins quickly moved the team down the pecking order. Cousins completed 5 of 6 passes on a quick drive and hit Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left. The extra point was difficult after London received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, but Youngho Goo made it and the Falcons led 22-21 before Jalen Hurts threw an interception under pressure and the game was over.
The Eagles were in position to win. But on third-and-3, Saquon Barkley dropped a wide-open pass that would have ended the game with a touchdown or a first down. That drop allowed Cousins his first big moment for the Falcons.
Until then, the Falcons have little to worry about their $180 million quarterback and where the season is headed. All he’s heard through his career is that he’s not clutch and that he’s shrinking in prime time. Then he came up with a push that could change the trajectory of Atlanta’s early season.
Monday night didn’t score high
Both the teams did not play well in the beginning. The Eagles moved it a bit in the first quarter, but on fourth-and-4 from the Falcons’ 9-yard line, Philadelphia passed up a field-goal attempt that went incomplete. The Falcons haven’t moved it much, but at least Cousins is lining up under center unlike in Week 1. Last week, the Falcons were almost exclusively in handguns and shotguns, and it seemed as if Cousins’ lack of play calling was lacking. to move
In the second quarter, the Eagles finally hit it off a little bit. Two big plays came and somehow, the Falcons’ defense allowed Hurts to run and he picked up conversions on fourth-and-3 and third-and-11. Devonta Smith had a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone and the game’s first touchdown with 5:15 left in the second quarter. Philly led 7-3.
The Falcons had a good drive late in the first half before it stalled inside the 5-yard line. On third down, with no time left for the Falcons and no time to bring the field-goal team down the field, Cousins threw it away to avoid picking up a sack. At that point, things were tough for the Falcons’ offense. Cousins missed some big plays because he didn’t see things well or was slow to react. Cousins had just 75 yards passing in the first half and Atlanta didn’t get into the end zone before halftime.
The Eagles led 7-6 at halftime and Monday night’s visitors were unimpressed. Through six quarters, the Falcons had just one touchdown. Not much hope that it will suddenly click when it matters most.
The teams took the lead in the 2nd half
The Falcons’ offense finally got a breakthrough in the second half. Darnell Mooney drove past Eagles safety CJ Gardner-Johnson to the empty middle of the field, and Cousins saw him and tackled him. Mooney freed Gardner-Johnson near the goal line and scored the 42nd touchdown. This gave the Falcons a 15-10 lead.
For an offense that has struggled to do practically everything since the season began, releasing Mooney for a touchdown was a momentous occasion. And that gave Atlanta the lead.
The Eagles responded. They went on an 85-yard drive that chewed up 9:34 on the clock. It looked like Barkley had scored, but as some fantasy football managers sweated Monday night’s game, Barkley was downed at the half-yard line. Hurts scored a touchdown on the next play and the Eagles were back in front. Barkley missed the 2-point conversion and the Eagles led 18-15.
The Falcons squandered their best chance to win. They got the ball back with 6:47 left and couldn’t pick up a first down. London ran a route short of the sticks on third-and-10, then Bijaon Robinson was crushed by Gardner-Johnson behind a big stop and loss of possession.
The Eagles then picked up a few first downs and ran out the clock. But Barkley’s big drop on third down stopped the clock with 1:42 left, giving the Falcons another chance to win. After an Eagles field goal gave them a 21–15 lead, Cousins had one more chance to drive his team 70 yards for a touchdown and the win.
At the time, the Falcons and Cousins weren’t doing much. But he came through a surgery to win it. The Falcons paid $180 million for it.
