Kirk Cousins needed a big moment on Monday night. So did the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons’ offense had managed just two touchdowns on the season when Cousins took over the game with 1:39 left in the game, needing a touchdown and driving 70 yards to get it and get the win. Suddenly, Cousins came alive.
Cousins quickly moved the team down the field. He completed 5 of 6 passes on a quick drive and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left. The extra point was tougher after London was assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but Younghoe Koo made it and the Falcons led 22-21. Jalen Hurts threw an interception under pressure after that and the game was over.
The Eagles were in position to win, but on a third-and-three play, Saquon Barkley dropped a pass that would have resulted in a touchdown or a game-ending first down. That pass allowed Cousins to have his first big moment with the Falcons.
Up until that point, the Falcons had to be a little worried about their $180 million quarterback and the direction the season was taking. All they had heard throughout his career was that he was inconclusive and that he would shrink at the best of times. Then he came up with a play that could change the trajectory of the first half of Atlanta’s season.
There weren’t many goals on Monday night
Neither team was accurate early. The Eagles moved around a bit in the first quarter, but on fourth-and-4 from the Falcons’ 9-yard line, Philadelphia took a field goal attempt, tried it, and threw incomplete. The Falcons didn’t move much, but at least Cousins was lined up under center, unlike in Week 1. Last week, the Falcons played almost exclusively pistol and shotgun, and it seemed like play selection was limited because Cousins couldn’t move.
In the second quarter, the Eagles finally got going a bit on offense. The two big plays came when the Falcons defense somehow let Hurts run and he got conversions on fourth-and-three and third-and-11. DeVonta Smith got a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone and with 5:15 left in the second quarter, the game had its first touchdown. Philadelphia led 7-3.
The Falcons had a nice drive late in the first half before it stalled inside the 5-yard line. On third down, Cousins fumbled to avoid a sack because the Falcons were out of timeouts and wouldn’t have had time to get the team that wanted to score the field goal on the field. At that point, things looked to be going south for the Falcons’ offense. Cousins missed some potentially big plays because he either didn’t see things well or was slow to react. Cousins had just 75 yards passing in the first half, and Atlanta didn’t reach the end zone before halftime.
The Eagles led 7-6 at halftime and the Monday night crowd was unimpressed. Through six quarters, the Falcons had managed just one touchdown. There wasn’t much hope that everything would suddenly turn around when it mattered most.
The teams exchange the lead in the second half
Finally, the Falcons offense managed to break through in the second half. Darnell Mooney outran Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the middle of the field, Cousins saw him and hit him. Mooney broke free from Gardner-Johnson near the goal line and scored a 42-yard touchdown. That gave the Falcons a 15-10 lead.
For an offense that had struggled to do just about everything since the season began, seeing Mooney break free for a touchdown was a momentous event. And it gave Atlanta the lead.
The Eagles responded. They went on an 85-yard drive that consumed 9:34 of the clock. It looked like Barkley scored, but to the chagrin of some fantasy football managers sweating over Monday night’s game, Barkley was tackled at the half-yard line. Hurts scored on a tush push on the next play and the Eagles were back in front. Barkley barely made the 2-point conversion and the Eagles led 18-15.
The Falcons appeared to squander their best chance to win. They got the ball back with 6:47 left and couldn’t get a first down. London ran a short route on third-and-10 and then Bijan Robinson was crushed behind the line by Gardner-Johnson for a big stop and a loss of possession.
The Eagles got a few first downs after that and let the clock run out. But Barkley’s big drop on third down stopped the clock at 1:42, 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.
Up to that point, the Falcons and Cousins hadn’t done much, but he managed to win. That’s why the Falcons paid $180 million.