ATLANTA — With a year of high hopes on the cusp of a 0-2 start, Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons suddenly found their mojo.
The result was a game-winning drive that gave this season a whole new perspective.
Cousins completed five of six passes for 70 yards, capped by a 7-yard touchdown pass to Drake London with 34 seconds remaining that gave the Falcons an improbable 22-21 road victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
“It was really, really important for us to be able to come in here and get a win,” Cousins said. “We had to do it any way we could. As so many NFL games do, it really came down to the final drive.”
If Atlanta goes on to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season, a possession that took a little over a minute might be remembered as an early turning point.
It was as if a light went on for Cousins, who looked extremely rusty in an 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season opener.
There was plenty of speculation that he wasn’t fully recovered from a torn Achilles tendon that cut short his final season with the Minnesota Vikings and led to the Falcons sitting him for the entire preseason.
But everything clicked after the Eagles squandered a chance to put the game away when Saquon Barkley dropped an open pass that should’ve been, at worst, a clinching first down and perhaps even a touchdown.
For sure, the Falcons were extremely fortunate just to get an opportunity to win the game.
Still, they had to capitalize on it. That they did, making it look easy while leaving Lincoln Financial Field in stunned silence.
“I’m proud of the way we played, proud of the way we found a way to win, and we can build on that,” Cousins said. “I think it will build some character and some resolve in our group. I’m really looking forward to building on that up ahead.”
First-year coach Raheem Morris downplayed his first win from a personal standpoint, but he conceded that it’s a huge morale boost for his players.
“It pumps more belief in them,” he said. “We go around saying it all the time, but when players actually go out and execute it and do it, it’s something that just creates this energy for those guys to be able to get out there, knowing that they can do anything at any time.”
What’s working
Cousins was having another middling performance (15 of 23 for 171 yards) until that scintillating final drive. Suddenly, he looked like the quarterback worthy of the four-year, $180 million contract he got from the Falcons in free agency.
Wide receiver Darnell Mooney gave Cousins an additional weapon in the passing game, hauling in a 41-yard reception for the Falcons’ first TD and making two more huge catches on the winning drive. He inexplicably broke off a route on another play, but Atlanta wasn’t about to quibble over that miscue.
The running game was highly effective with the 1-2 punch of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Robinson had 14 carries for 97 yards, while Allgeier chipped in with nine carries for 53 yards. That’s just the sort of production Atlanta needs to open up the passing game.
What needs help
The Falcons got some pressure on Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts, including three more hits by Grady Jarrett, but a few more sacks would be a welcome addition to their defensive arsenal.
Matthew Judon had the only sack of the night, giving Atlanta three for the season. The Falcons need to step up their pace after perennially ranking near the bottom of the league rankings in that category.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.