Kirk Cousins led a flawless drive in the final minute for Atlanta, connecting for a seven-yard touchdown pass with Drake London with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Saquon Barkley threw a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left, forcing the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was more than enough time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense that played soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing in his second game since torn his Achilles tendon last October while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the final drive.
Cousins found London with a short pass to the right for the equalizer and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) ahead with an extra point from 48 yards after London was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“I’m still not sharp enough. I didn’t feel like I was sharp enough today, not accurate enough,” Cousins said after the game. “I’ve got to get better. But that last drive can hopefully give us a boost for next week and we can build on that. I was happy with the way we finished tonight, but there’s still so much to improve on.”
Jalen Hurts saw his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to secure the win for Atlanta, prompting wild celebrations on the sideline.
The Eagles (1-1) took the lead on Hurts’ one-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop gave the Falcons some hope. And then Cousins started to play like the QB Atlanta thought they were getting when they gave him a four-year, $180 million contract.