Kirk Cousins earned every cent of his $180 million contract as he went five-for-six on the final drive to go 70 yards, putting the Atlanta Falcons up for good and stunning the Philadelphia Eagles 22-21 in their home opener. The Eagles will be haunted by the third-down decision from Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to throw a bootleg to Saquon Barkley that could have put the game out of reach, but instead fell incomplete, leaving 1:39 on the clock for Cousins and the offense.
Cousins drove the offense down 70 yards in six plays, only utilizing 1:05, including two explosives to wide receiver Darnell Mooney. The Falcons drive was capped off by a seven-yard Drake London touchdown catch on a play that Cousins explained in his post-game interview they had repped multiple times in camp this offseason. Cousins stated that London had done such a great job, that his job was easy. He just “laid it on the front pylon” for him to run under.
A game-sealing interception for safety Jessie Bates III, the only turnover of the day for either team, gave the Falcons their first primetime win since October 29th, 2020 against the Carolina Panthers…coached by then-interim head coach Raheem Morris.
Key Stats
- Jalen Hurts was a wrecking ball for most of the game, 23-of-30 for 183 yards through the air and 13 carries for 85 yards and two total touchdowns with the Bates interception being his only blemish.
- Barkley had a day as well, ending with 22 carries for 95 yards. The Eagles ran efficiently all night long, gaining 186 yards on 37 carries.
- Mooney led all Falcons receivers with 88 yards on 3 receptions. There were questions of who the vertical threat for this offense would be. Mooney answered those questions emphatically, especially with his 42-yard maximum effort touchdown.
- London led all Falcons receivers with six receptions on seven targets for 54 yards and that crucial last touchdown.
- Bijan Robinson stole the show with another 100+ all-purpose yards. Robinson ended the game with 97 yards on 14 carries and added 25 yards off four receptions through the air for 122 total yards.
- Last, but certainly not least, Bates led the team with 12 total tackles (7 solo) and was looking to have an okay day, that is until he made the play of the day with his game-sealing interception.
What’s Next?
The Falcons can celebrate for a second, but there is a bigger test in store next week as the Kansas City Chiefs come into Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Sunday Night Football at 8:20 p.m. on Sunday, September 22nd on NBC & Peacock.
