New York (AFP) – Kirk Cousins engineered a superb game-winning touchdown drive as the Atlanta Falcons stunned the Philadelphia Eagles with a dramatic 22-21 victory on Monday. Philadelphia looked to have done enough to preserve their unbeaten start to the season after taking a 21-15 lead at Lincoln Financial Field through Jake Elliott’s 28-yard field goal with 1min 39sec remaining.
But veteran Atlanta quarterback Cousins — desperate to atone after a dismal debut for the Falcons in a week one defeat to Pittsburgh — had other ideas. With no time-outs remaining, the 36-year-old took over and marched Atlanta 70 yards upfield in 65 seconds to find Drake London in the end zone for the game-tying score at 21-21. After the Falcons were penalised for an over-exuberant celebration, Younghoe Koo made a 48-yard extra point to put Atlanta up by one.
There was still time for Philadelphia to try and salvage the game, but quarterback Jalen Hurts’ efforts to get the Eagles into field goal range ended with an interception by Jessie Bates. “I didn’t feel like I was sharp enough today, accurate enough, so I’ve got to be better,” Cousins said. “But that last drive hopefully can give us a boost. We can build on that. There’s a lot of new and it takes time. I was pleased with the way we finished tonight, but there’s still so much to be better with,” added Cousins, the former Minnesota quarterback who joined Atlanta on a four-year $180 million deal in March.
The Eagles meanwhile were left ruing a chance to seal victory late in the fourth quarter. But running back Saquon Barkley was unable to grasp a straightforward pass from Hurts which would have given the Eagles a new set of downs with less than two minutes remaining against a Falcons side out of timeouts. Instead of being able to run down the clock, Philadelphia had to settle for an Elliott field goal which presented Atlanta and Cousins with the chance to snatch a sensational victory.
Earlier, defenses had dominated a cagey first half which saw Philadelphia take a 7-6 lead into the break after DeVonta Smith collected a seven-yard pass from Hurts for a touchdown. Atlanta’s only scores in the first half came via a pair of Koo field goals either side of Philadelphia’s touchdown. Koo slotted his third field goal of the game early in the third quarter from 34 yards to give Atlanta a 9-7 lead. Philadelphia, however, responded with a 29-yard field goal from Elliott that put the Eagles up 10-9.
Cousins led a 70-yard drive which culminated in a Darnell Mooney 42-yard touchdown to leave Atlanta 15-10 ahead. The Eagles looked to be turning the screw when Hurts crashed over from one yard out before Barkley’s two-point conversion left them 18-15 ahead. Elliott’s field goal extended the Philly lead to six points, but Cousins’ lightning-fast late drive silenced the home crowd.
© 2024 AFP
