The Atlanta Falcons looked like they were on their way to picking up another loss on Sunday, as they found themselves trailing the Philadelphia Eagles by six points with only 1:39 remaining in the fourth quarter.
But miracles happen in the NFL more often than most people realize and Kirk Cousins and the Falcons were a beneficiary of one, as they successfully pulled off an epic comeback 22-21 victory in the City of Brotherly Love.
It was a party in the Falcons' locker room after their memorable win at Lincoln Financial Field. Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris, who got his first win with the Falcons, also shared a powerful message to his team.
“When we started this thing, we said pivot, we said persist,” Morris said. “And that's the f***ing deal. That's how you go deal. Hey man, nobody f***ing blinked. Don't nobody f***ing blink. That's who we are. That's who we're going to be.”
And as though to send a big message to the Kansas City Chiefs, who will swing by Georgia in Week 3 to face the Falcons, Morris powerfully punctuated his speech with a rhetorical question.
“I know we're happy about this moment, but who the f***is next?”
Kirk Cousins shows his worth for the Falcons in clutch win vs. Eagles
The Falcons were so close to starting the season with a 0-2 record, which would be, fairly or unfairly, blamed mostly on Cousins. After all, he was the expensive offseason acquisition by Atlanta and was expected to take the team's offense to the next level after he inked a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons last March.
For one, unforgettable drive, Cousins made it look like he was worth all that money — and more. Cousins went 5-of-6 in the game-winning Falcons drive after the Eagles went up by six points off of a field goal late in the fourth period. In his final pass completion, Cousins found wide receiver Drake London for a touchdown before Younghoe Koo buried the extra point that put Atlanta ahead for good.
So good was Cousins during that stretch that he pulled off a feat no other signal-caller in the history of the NFL had achieved before, per OptaSTATS.
@AtlantaFalcons' Kirk Cousins:
completed 80% of his passes
threw for 70+ yards
threw for the winning TD
No other NFL QB in last 30 years has done that on a drive that began in the last 2 minutes, on the road, with his team needing a TD to erase the deficit.
Another tough test awaits Atlanta
The Falcons will have a home game next in Week 3, but as mentioned, they will be locking horns with the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. Dealing with Patrick Mahomes and company will never be easy for any team, but the Cincinnati Bengals nearly upset the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium last Sunday. The Chiefs escaped Week 2 with a 26-25 win over Joe Burrow and the Bengals to go 2-0 this season. In Week 1, Kansas City took down fellow Super Bowl contender Baltimore Ravens at home, 27-20.
But after passing the test against the Eagles, another team expected to seriously contend for a Super Bowl, the Falcons have, at the very least, momentum to ride on, as they fly back home for the Cheifs game.
The Falcons are averaging 16.0 points per game and allowing 19.5 points per contest so far in the 2024 NFL season.
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