So, this is what Atlanta hoped for with the $180 million spent on Kirk Cousins. It wasn’t the shaky performance from the 36-year-old veteran in the opener that had raised concerns about his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon.
Cousins settled those concerns in the final moments, making key throws that Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts could not, leading the Falcons to victory.
Cousins guided Atlanta on a perfect last-minute drive and threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Drake London with 34 seconds remaining, giving the Falcons a 22-21 win over the Eagles on Monday night.
“He went out and played crucially in the biggest moments and at the biggest times,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “Those are the things you want to see when you have a chance to win. It was great to see today with Kirk Cousins.”
Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left, forcing the Eagles to go for a field goal instead of securing a game-winning first down.
This gave Cousins enough time, especially against an Eagles defense that was playing soft coverage with no pass rush.
Cousins, who was playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last October with Minnesota, recovered from a shaky start and connected with Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the crucial drive.
Cousins then found London on a short pass to his right, where London outplayed Darius Slay for the tying score. Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) ahead with a 48-yard extra point after London was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. The winning drive took just 65 seconds.
“We saved just enough time for those guys to go down and march down and get that game-winning touchdown,” Morris said. Cousins completed 5 of 6 passes for 70 yards on the final drive.
“That’s how you put together a great season,” Cousins said. “When you have these games that could go either way, you find a way to have it break your way. That’s the way this league is, and so when we can find those inches, it can really change the tale of the season.”
Hurts had his last pass picked off by Jessie Bates III, which secured Atlanta’s win and triggered a big celebration on the sideline.
The Eagles (1-1) took the lead with Hurts’ 1-yard push into the end zone with 6:47 left. Barkley had 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his dropped pass gave the Falcons a chance.
Then Cousins started playing like the quarterback Atlanta hoped for when they signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Cousins ended the game with 20 completions out of 29 attempts for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first touchdown was a 41-yard pass from Cousins to Mooney, who had three catches for 88 yards.
All critical plays leading up to the final drive. “When you’re down six, you can certainly go for broke, but we just tried to take what they gave us and move our way down the field,” Cousins said.
“And we were able to get some chunks that basically got us down there, low enough where the clock wasn’t really our enemy.”
Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With top receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.
Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15. Atlanta struggled in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins threw a pass over the middle to Mooney.
Mooney broke free from C.J. Gardner-Johnson, leaving him on the ground before rolling into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins missed the 2-point conversion pass.
Hurts showed some energy during a second-quarter touchdown drive, running aggressively for big gains similar to his style in the 2022 season.
He spiked the ball in a rare display of emotion after a 23-yard run, which led to a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard penalty and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.
