The Atlanta Falcons literally left it to the last minute to win their first game of the new NFL season, with Kirk Cousins leading a late drive to secure a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
Down by six with 1:39 left on the clock, the veteran quarterback kept his nerve to take the Falcons on a 70-yard drive, finishing it off with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Drake London with 34 seconds left in the game.
Younghoe Koo then kicked the game-winning extra point after London had been flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Cousins was suiting up for the Falcons for just the second time, after recovering from an ACL injury picked up in October while playing for the Minnesota Vikings.
The four-time Pro Bowler was brought in for his invaluable veteran leadership and – after a rough Week 1 outing in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers – the Falcons got exactly what they paid for in the game-winning drive.
Despite not feeling like he performed his best, the 36-year-old now wants Monday’s win to be a catalyst for the season.
“I am still not sharp enough. I didn’t feel like I was sharp enough today, accurate enough. I have to be better,” Cousins said immediately after the game.
“But that last drive can hopefully give us a boost going into next week and we can build on that.
“I was pleased with the way we finished tonight, but there’s still so much to be better with.”
“Today he went out and played important in the biggest moments, in the biggest times,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said of Cousins after the game.
“And those are the things you want to have happen when you get a chance to go out there and get wins. It was great to see with Kirk Cousins.”
Cousins ended the night 20-of-29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns, having also thrown a 41-yard touchdown to Darnell Mooney in the third quarter.
Pivotal dropped pass
In truth, though, Cousins was far from his best throughout the game and the Eagles had a chance to put the game away late.
New Eagles running back Saquon Barkley dropped a pass late in the fourth quarter, which proved to be decisive. The former Giants star blundered an easy catch from a Jalen Hurts throw, which resulted in the Eagles having to kick a field goal, rather than draining the remaining time from the clock.
The dropped pass gave Cousins and the Falcons a chance to drive up the other end – an opportunity the visitors didn’t waste.
After Atlanta’s last-minute, go-ahead drive, Eagles quarterback Hurts saw his pass intercepted by Jessie Bates in the final act of a dramatic game, sparking wild celebrations from the Falcons bench.
The Falcons (1-1) will be hoping the win fires them up as they host the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) on September 22.
Meanwhile, the Eagles (1-1) travel to New Orleans to play the red-hot Saints (2-0) on Sunday as Philly bids to get back to winning ways.