PHILADELPHIA — Kirk Cousins exorcised his “Monday Night Football” demons and earned the Atlanta Falcons their first crucial single-series win of the season.
Down by six points with 1:39 left, Cousins drove the Falcons 70 yards and found wide receiver Drake London for a go-ahead 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left. Atlanta escaped Lincoln Financial Field with a 22-21 victory in Week 2. Cousins moved to 4-10 on Monday nights and has won four of his last five Monday night games.
Cousins completed 20 of 29 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson had 97 yards on 14 carries and 122 total yards from scrimmage. The Eagles had taken the lead on quarterback Jalen Hurts' 1-yard touchdown run with 6:47 left.
Here are the most important things for both teams to know from Monday night:
For most of eight quarters, the Falcons looked like they really needed to figure things out on offense.
For the second straight week, the team failed to live up to that side of the ball, which was supposed to be a major strength with the addition of quarterback Kirk Cousins. But Cousins had yet to regain his form after missing most of his 2023 season with a torn right Achilles tendon. And despite a potent ground attack, Atlanta couldn’t convert on third down or in the red zone.
Until the final moments of the game. Cousins drove the team 70 yards and connected with wide receiver Drake London for the go-ahead touchdown with just 34 seconds remaining. It didn't erase the inconsistent play of Atlanta's offense in the first two games. But it was enough to put a point in the win column, at least.
The Falcons needed a win against the Eagles. Things could get tough in the coming weeks, especially with the way the team has been playing. Atlanta hosts the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs next week in prime time. After that? The Falcons host the archrival New Orleans Saints and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both teams, Atlanta's foes in the NFC South, are currently undefeated.
Cousins and the Falcons must hope that last-minute offense is now the rule rather than the exception. It's the NFL and things get done very late and early around here.
Promising trend: Bijan Robinson was a focal point of the team's offense, which was a criticism of the Falcons' play-calling in 2023. The second-year running back became the first Falcons running back to have 100 or more yards from scrimmage in each of the team's first two games of a season since Michael Turner in 2011.
Amazing statistics: Cousins has 51 touchdown passes against the blitz over the past five seasons, which is tied with Josh Allen for the most in the NFL during that span. Patrick Mahomes is third with 47. That's a taste of what the Falcons could have if Cousins returns to his pre-injury form.
The biggest hole in the game plan: The Falcons' secondary provided good coverage and the pass rush had its moments, but Hurts was able to improvise and create big plays with his feet. Atlanta had no answer for him and that resulted in Hurts converting two big fourth downs, three crucial third downs and scoring a touchdown with his legs. –Marc Raimondi
Next game: vs. Kansas City Chiefs (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, Sept. 22)
Life without wide receiver AJ Brown can be tough. The Eagles found that out during Monday night's scrimmage against the Falcons, when Brown sat out with a hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for a couple of games.
Still, it looked like they had done enough to get past the Falcons, but then it all came crashing down. Atlanta put together a six-play, 70-yard drive in 1:05 to stun the packed Lincoln Financial Field crowd and leave the Eagles with a 1-1 score.
The road gets tougher from here. They'll play the in-form New Orleans Saints, then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before taking a bye in Week 5.
Adversity has hit this team from the start. After a 1-6 slump down the stretch of last season, all eyes will be on whether the Eagles can bounce back from a hard-hitting loss.
Describe the game in two words: Brutal defeat. Victory was in the Eagles' hands before Atlanta snatched it away with a six-play, 70-yard drive in the final moments. A last-ditch effort by the Eagles' offense ended with a Hurts interception.
Fundamental play: With a three-point lead with less than two minutes remaining, the Eagles faced a third-and-three in Atlanta territory. Hurts left Saquon Barkley wide open in the flat, but Barkley dropped the ball, forcing Philadelphia to settle for a field goal. Moments later, the Falcons mounted their game-winning drive.
Worrying trend: The Eagles' defenders struggled to pressure the quarterback for the second straight week. Much of the attention will focus on Bryce Huff, the former Jet who signed a three-year, $51 million contract in free agency to help offset the eventual departure of Haason Reddick. He hasn't drawn a pressure in two games.
Amazing statistics: Kirk Cousins was pressured on just 2 of 14 dropbacks (14%) in the first half, the lowest rate he has faced in any half since Week 1 of 2023. –Tim McManus
Next game: At New Orleans Saints (1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 22)
