Kirk Cousins needed a big moment Monday night. The Atlanta Falcons needed it, too.
The Falcons' offense had scored just two touchdowns this season when Cousins scored with 1:39 left in the game, needed a touchdown and had to go 70 yards to get it for the win. Suddenly, Cousins came to life.
Cousins got the team moving quickly. Cousins quickly completed 5 of 6 passes and hit Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left. The extra point was difficult when London received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but Younghoe Koo hit it and the Falcons took a 22-21 lead. Jalen Hurts then threw an interception under pressure and the game was over.
The Eagles were in position to win. But on third-and-3, Saquon Barkley dropped a wide-open pass that would have resulted in either a touchdown or a first down, ending the game. That drop gave Cousins a chance to create his first big moment for the Falcons.
By that point, the Falcons had to be a little concerned about their $180 million quarterback and the direction of the season. All they've heard throughout his career is that he's not clutch and that he shrinks in prime time. Then he came up with a drive that could change the direction of the early part of Atlanta's season.
There wasn't much scoring on Monday night
Neither team was sharp early. The Eagles moved it a bit in the first quarter, but on fourth-and-4 from the Falcons' 9-yard line, Philadelphia passed on a field-goal try, went for it and threw incomplete. The Falcons didn't move it much, but at least Cousins was lining up under center, unlike Week 1. Last week, the Falcons were almost entirely in pistol and shotgun, and it seemed like play-calling was limited because Cousins couldn't move.
In the second quarter, the Eagles finally got a little aggressive. The two big plays came when, somehow, the Falcons' defense allowed Hurts to run and he got conversions on fourth down and third and 11. DeVonta Smith had a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone and scored the first touchdown of the game with 5:15 left in the second quarter. Philly led 7-3.
The Falcons had a good drive in the first half, but it stalled inside the 5-yard line. On third down, Cousins threw it to avoid taking a sack because the Falcons had no timeouts left and no time to get the field-goal team on the field. At that point, everything looked difficult for the Falcons' offense. Cousins missed some potentially big plays because he either couldn't see things well or was slow to react. Cousins passed for just 75 yards in the first half and Atlanta failed to get into the end zone before halftime.
The Eagles led 7-6 at halftime, and that didn't sit well with fans Monday night. Through six quarters, the Falcons scored just one touchdown. There wasn't much hope that it would suddenly come in handy when it mattered most.
Teams take lead in second half
The Falcons offense finally had a breakthrough in the second half. Darnell Mooney ran past Eagles safety CJ Gardner-Johnson into the empty middle of the field, Cousins saw him and hit him. Mooney outran Gardner-Johnson near the goal line and scored a 42-yard touchdown. That gave the Falcons a 15-10 lead.
For an offense that has tried to do nearly everything since the start of the season, seeing Mooney break free for a touchdown was a momentous occasion. And it gave Atlanta the lead.
The Eagles responded. They went on an 85-yard drive that ate up 9:34 minutes of the clock. It looked like Barkley would score, but much to the dismay of some fantasy football managers who sweated over Monday night's game, Barkley was dropped at the half yard line. Hurts scored on a tush push on the next play and the Eagles were ahead again. Barkley barely got in on the 2-point conversion and the Eagles led 18-15.
Then it looked like the Falcons blew their best chance to win. They got the ball back with 6:47 left and couldn't get a first down. London ran a route just short of the sticks on third-and-10 and then Gardner-Johnson crushed Bijan Robinson behind the line, losing possession of the ball.
The Eagles then gained a couple of first downs and ran down the clock. But a big drop by Barkley on third down stopped the clock at 1:42, giving the Falcons another chance to win. After the Eagles' field goal gave them a 21-15 lead, Cousins had another chance to lead his team 70 yards for a touchdown and the win.
Up until that point, the Falcons and Cousins had done nothing special. But he took the surgical drive to win. The Falcons paid $180 million for it.