Kirk Cousins, Falcons Offense Silences Critics in Game-Winning Drive at Eagles

After a strenuous week of self-reflection, the Atlanta Falcons' offense delivered when needed most against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins led an improbable comeback Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

When Kirk Cousins took the field with 1:39 remaining in Monday night's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris didn't even need to look at -- or talk to -- his quarterback.

Morris already had a good idea of the look in Cousins' eyes.

"Because I know what that confidence looks like from practice, from every day walking the hallway, from his process every day and learning and going out there and being his very best self," Morris said postgame. "I didn't need to look at him in that drive."

Over the next 65 seconds of game action, Cousins turned a laser-focused look into a memorable six-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, lifting the Falcons to an improbable 22-21 victory over the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

As Cousins scanned the field before the first snap of the game-winning series, he looked at the Eagles' coverage structure. He saw a defense that was going to allow yards, so long as nothing happened over the top. And so, Cousins went to work.

The drive started with an 11-yard pass to tight end Kyle Pitts. Completions of 21 and 26 yards to receiver Darnell Mooney followed. After three plays, the Falcons had gained 58 yards. By this point, with Atlanta in the redzone, Cousins knew the Eagles would play tighter.

This made winning routes perhaps more important than anything else. And in the game's biggest moment, the Falcons' top receiver, Drake London, did exactly that -- twice.

A five-yard pass to London pushed Atlanta inside Philadelphia's 10-yard line. Two plays later, with the game clock no longer the Falcons' enemy, London won again. This time, he hauled in a seven-yard touchdown pass in the front right corner of the endzone, capping one of Atlanta's most impressive drives in recent memory.

"That's where I was so proud of Drake for the route he ran, the way he separated and made it easy on me," Cousins said postgame.

DRAKE JUST DID THAT

ESPN | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/k7BjeVEFdt

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 17, 2024

But London didn't make life easy for kicker Younghoe Koo. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed the extra point from 33 yards to 48. Koo was unaffected, drilling the ball through the uprights and giving Atlanta a lead it didn't relinquish in the final 34 seconds.

And for the 36-year-old Cousins, who was the subject of many doubt-laced conversations surrounding his health and ability after a difficult showing Week 1, the performance was precisely what the Falcons ordered when they gave him a four-year, $180 million contract this spring.

"It was really what you expect," Morris said. "It's a process in this league, and that's the process you go through -- you're not always going to play as well as you want to play, and today, he went out and played important in the biggest moments and the biggest times.

"Those are the things you want to have happen when you get a chance to go out there and get wins. And it was great to see today with Kirk Cousins."

Cousins finished Monday night's contest 20-of-29 for 241 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was stellar in the second half, going 13-of-16 for 166 yards while tossing both of his scores. He took just one sack.

After the game, London mentioned Cousins' poise despite the crowd of almost 70,000 fans and the early-season pressure with an 0-2 start staring him in the face.

In a sense, such poise is what the Falcons paid for -- but Cousins said he didn't feel any additional pressure to deliver considering his paycheck, which includes $90 million guaranteed over the first two years.

"That's not how I think," Cousins said. "I'm just trying to play football -- help our teammates win, get out of here with a win. Enjoy playing, enjoy the competition, enjoy the challenge, the opportunity, the resolve you have to have to rally."

Those are all aspects of Cousins and the methodical process he's built through the past 12 years of playing quarterback at the sport's highest level. He knows his reads, his footwork, the play clock and mentality needed to execute such late comebacks.

It's all, in a sense, refreshing to the Falcons after spending the past two years with questions under center.

"To have a quarterback out there and do the right things and have that confidence instilled in us is huge," London said.

When Morris arrived in Atlanta after being hired Jan. 25, he knew he need to overhaul the quarterback position. The Falcons signed Cousins to do exactly that, and he delivered a strong return on investment Monday.

But Morris said the true value -- and financial return -- won't be apparent until January.

"Those moments come in the playoffs," Morris said. "We're a long way from that. We've got to get out here and try to put ourselves in position to get into those competitive moments so we can show those things. We haven't shown that yet.

"We've shown the fact we can go into somebody else's stadium and win a game, and we've shown we can win in a two-minute drive, and those are important for us to go find out."

The Falcons also showed their offense can be much better than the product that took the field in the season-opening 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Atlanta had five scoring drives -- two touchdowns, three field goals -- and compiled 385 net yards of offense. Cousins' performance was paired with 154 yards on the ground, as running back Bijan Robinson turned 14 carries into 97 yards and his backfield partner Tyler Allgeier added nine attempts for 53 yards.

Cousins distributed the ball to six different players, and five had at least three receptions. London led all pass catchers with six grabs while accumulating 54 yards and the game-winning score. Mooney had three catches for a team-high 88 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown.

Slot receiver Ray-Ray McCloud remained a focal point of the offense, catching three passes for 42 yards. Pitts made three grabs for 20 yards, while Robinson hauled in four passes for 25 yards.

Cousins said the Falcons have plenty of athletes who can create plays -- the challenge is getting them in advantageous positions and executing, a task that rests on the shoulders of first-year offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

And Robinson, who had a difficult Week 1, matched Cousins with a Week 2 breakthrough, especially on the final drive.

"Kirk made a bunch of throws, and Zac closed it out," Morris said. "Give credit where credit is due -- he called an excellent game. We have to get some of those touchdown drives back that turned into three [points], but whatever.

"He went out there and scored when it was the most important time. He was the best when his best was required."

Cousins noted he needs to be much better than he was against the Eagles, but he's grateful the game unfolded as it did. He was hesitant to say the Falcons' offense unlocked something, because the league changes each play and each week.

But something else currently evolving is the relationship between Cousins and Zac Robinson, who played quarterback for several NFL teams across a four-year stint from 2010-13 and has extensive experience coaching the position.

When the two met in the locker room postgame, they shook hands. Cousins and Robinson were two of the biggest driving forces behind Atlanta's road upset and did so in similar fashion -- cool under pressure.

"He was his usual self: calm," Cousins said about Robinson. "We were on the same page throughout the game. Obviously, we're thrilled with the result, but we're going to keep building a rapport. I think it's a work in progress."

Yet as Cousins learns and works toward a brighter future, he took a moment to reflect on his past Sunday night at the team's hotel. He saw former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who officially retired in Philadelphia during Monday night's game.

Cousins and Foles arrived together at Michigan State University in 2007. Foles ultimately transferred to the University of Arizona and had an 11-year NFL career. Cousins is in the midst of Year 13.

For Cousins, seeing Foles brought back memories of his journey -- and also a sense of appreciation for how far each has come.

"It worked out," Cousins told Foles at the coin toss Monday night. "It worked out for both of us."

Monday night's game particularly worked out for the Falcons, who netted what Cousins described as an all-around team win. From Koo's deep extra point and a pair of late defensive stands to the offense's clutch drive, Atlanta received key contributions from all three phases.

And in Cousins' eyes, such a win -- with less than a 1% chance of victory at one point -- is critical on a broader scale.

"That's how you put together a great season is, when you have these games that could go either way, you find a way to make it break your way," Cousins said. "When we can find those inches, it can really change the tale of a season.

"We're going to have more of those up ahead, and we're going to have to keep finding ways to make the plays to get it done."

The Falcons flew home after Monday night's game and will return to practice Wednesday at IBM Performance Field. They'll take on the Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) at 8:20 p.m. Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Atlanta will do so with the confidence of a team that avoided the abyss of an 0-2 start, when odds of a playoff appearance dwindle. Morris said the Falcons have always had confidence -- but now, there's proof in the pudding.

And within that pudding sits the ingredients of resolve, grit and character that Cousins said the Falcons will have to lean on as the season progresses.

"This is how NFL football is," Cousins said. "We've got to get used to this and get comfortable in this because that's how these games tend to go. The more we can be battle tested and have these moments, I think it would set us up well for what's coming down the road."