Kirk Cousins threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Drake London with just 34 seconds remaining, leading the Atlanta Falcons to a dramatic 22-21 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
The Falcons (1-1) found themselves down by six points with no timeouts and only 1:39 left on the clock. They executed a lightning-quick, 70-yard drive in just six plays over the span of 65 seconds to snatch the win.
The Eagles (1-1) missed a golden opportunity to secure the game when Saquon Barkley dropped a crucial third-and-3 pass. Philadelphia had to settle for Jake Elliott’s 28-yard field goal, extending their lead to 21-15.
Following a touchback, Cousins demonstrated his clutch abilities by completing passes of 11 yards to Kyle Pitts, 21 yards to Darnell Mooney, another 26 yards to Mooney, and a 5-yard pass to London, reaching the Philadelphia 7-yard line with 43 seconds on the clock.
After an incomplete pass, Cousins found London completely unmarked in the end zone, tying the game at 21-21 with 34 seconds left. A subsequent unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on London forced Younghoe Koo to convert the go-ahead extra point from 48 yards out.
Cousins threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns, while Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. This triumph marked Cousins’ first win since signing a four-year, $180 million deal with Atlanta in March and his first victory since recovering from last October’s Achilles tendon tear.
Jalen Hurts threw for 183 yards with a touchdown and a late interception, adding 85 yards and a touchdown on the ground for Philadelphia. Barkley rushed for 95 yards in his home debut as an Eagle.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Falcons struck first with Koo’s 39-yard field goal early in the second.
Atlanta answered with a 22-yard score by Koo to narrow the score to 7–6 just before halftime.
The third quarter opened with an exchange of field goals—Koo’s third of the game from 34 yards, followed by a 29-yarder by Elliott, putting the Eagles up 10-9.
One play after converting a fourth-and-4, Cousins connected with Mooney for a spectacular 41-yard touchdown, giving Atlanta a 15-10 lead with 1:21 left in the third quarter.
Hurts‘ 1-yard touchdown run followed by Barkley’s two-point conversion with 6:47 remaining gave the Eagles an 18-15 advantage.
But it was Cousins’ determination and skill in the final seconds that sealed a thrilling victory for the Falcons, surprising football fans and pundits alike with one of the most exciting finishes of the young season.
