PHILADELPHIA — — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute trip for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown With 34 seconds left, the Falcons secured a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left, forcing the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-winning first down. That was enough time for Cousins – especially against an Eagles defense that played weak coverage and had no pass rush.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing in his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon on Oct. 29 of last year for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and missed Darnell Mooney on two consecutive plays for 21 and 26 yards during the decisive drive.
Cousins found London with a short pass to the right to tie the score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) ahead with a 48-yard extra point after London received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The opening goal came just 65 seconds into the game.
Jalen Hurts had his last pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III sealed Atlanta’s victory and sparked a wild celebration on the sidelines.
The Eagles (1-1) took the lead with 6:47 left on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score. Barkley finished his home debut for Philadelphia with 95 yards on 22 carries, but his drop gave the Falcons some hope.
And then Cousins started playing like the quarterback Atlanta expected when it signed him for four years and $180 million.
Cousins completed 20 of 29 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yard pass from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.
Hurts completed 23 of 30 passes for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With starting receiver AJ Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yard kick with 1:39 left put the team up 21-15.
Atlanta continued to hesitate in the red zone, scoring three field goals by Koo before Cousins threw over the middle to Mooney, who broke free of CJ Gardner-Johnson and left him sprawled on the turf before somersaulting into the end zone for a 15-10 lead with 1:21 left in the third quarter. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.
Hurts was full of energy during a second-quarter touchdown run, running with abandon for big plays, much like he did in the 2022 season. In a rare, raw display of emotion, he threw the ball into thin air on a 23-yard run and incurred a delay of game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and ran 9 and 15 yards to put the Eagles within Atlanta’s 19.
Comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper were among the fans cheering on the Eagles when Hurts scored a 7-yard touchdown to Smith in the back of the end zone to make the game 7-3.
Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have developed an early knack for allowing long drives that end in three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last of which was enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opening game, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they advanced inside the 20 yards.
Instead of getting a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ gamble on fourth-and-4 at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter backfired when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.
Elliott kicked a 29-yard pass with 4:31 minutes left in the third quarter to give the team a 10-9 lead.
Bijan Robinson ran 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stopped him just before fourth and one at Atlanta’s 39-yard line.
Barkley was quiet until the decisive drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the game’s opening drive ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he made two consecutive 9-yard runs early in the second drive. Barkley had rushed for 40 yards in the first half.
Former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as honorary captain and encouraged the crowd to chant “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quadriceps).
Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.
The Eagles play in New Orleans on Sunday.
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