Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Falcons fans were waiting for a night like this, and Kirk Cousins delivered
The odds were not in their favor.
In the closing minutes of Monday night’s game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles, the visiting Falcons trailed by three, 18-15, and with the Eagles driving Atlanta’s win probably was less than one percent. According to Next Gen Stats, the odds of a Falcons win with 1:56 remaining, under their win probability model, was 0.7%.
As you probably know by now, the Falcons won that game by a final score of 22-21
Much has been said and will be written about how the Eagles handled the final two minutes of that game, from a decision on third down to put the ball in the air to how their defense handled Atlanta’s game-winning drive. But one thing is clear:
On that game-winning drive, Kirk Cousins showed exactly why Atlanta went out and got him this offseason.
The drive begins with Cousins showing he still has the fastball. Atlanta runs a three-receiver concept to the right, with Ray-Ray McCloud breaking vertically, Drake London running a dig route underneath him, and Kyle Pitts running a curl route underneath both of them.
Cousins, feeling some interior pressure, sidesteps that pressure to his right before drilling in a throw to Pitts to simply move the chains:
But without timeouts, and the clock ticking to under 90 seconds remaining, the Falcons are in turbo mode. Cousins gets Atlanta’s offense back to the line of scrimmage for the next play, the first of two big connections on the drive to Darnell Money. The receiver runs a deep out route, in front of the defender, and makes a sliding catch on a big throw from Cousins:
The 21-yard gain gets Atlanta into Philadelphia territory, but the seconds continue to tick off the clock. Cousins gets the Falcons right back to the line of scrimmage, and the ball is snapped with just 56 seconds remaining in the game.
The play? Another out-breaking route from Mooney, this time against tighter coverage from Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, their first-round selection last spring. Cousins puts this throw in an absolute shoebox, and Mooney spins away from Mitchell before picking up additional yardage before finally dipping out of bounds to stop the clock:
The route from Mooney is equally impressive, as he stresses the inside leverage of the rookie CB before breaking to the outside, getting just enough separation for Cousins to drill in this throw.
Now, the clock is stopped as Atlanta faces a 1st and 10 situation at the Eagles’ 12-yard line, with 46 seconds remaining. The Falcons have a chance to huddle, and they dial up a Flat-7 Smash concept to the left side with Pitts running the corner route, and Drake London releasing to the flat.
The coverage on Pitts in the back of the end zone is solid, so Cousins takes the underneath throw to London for a short gain, but the receiver gets out of bounds to again stop the clock:
Now facing 2nd and 5 at the Eagles’ 7-yard line, Atlanta has another chance to huddle, and they come out for the next play in a 2×2 alignment. Pitts and London are on the left side of the formation in a stack, and Pitts runs another corner route while London checks up on a curl route. To the right side, Mooney and McCloud are in a stack, with Mooney off the line and to the outside of McCloud. He’ll break underneath, using traffic created by McCloud, while McCloud runs a skinny post route:
McCloud has inside leverage against Avonte Maddox, and Cousins takes his shot. There is a lot of contact and the pass falls incomplete, without a flag.
Third down.
But with the incompletion, the Falcons have another chance to huddle, and they break that huddle with a three-receiver bunch to the right with Pitts, London, and McCloud. Initially, London is on the inside, but he shifts to the outside, leaving Pitts on the inside and McCloud in the middle.
The cornerbacks bump over, and Darius Slay slides to the outside over London in response.
While both Pitts and London break inside on a pair of slant routes, London jab steps to the inside before breaking to the front pylon. At the exact moment, London makes his break, Slay has his eyes on the other two routes, and that is all Cousins and London need to connect on the game-winning touchdown:
Slay conceded as much on social media after the game:
That’s on me Philly!! I owe yall one. DAMN!!!!!
— Darius Slay (@bigplay24slay) September 17, 2024
The cornerback’s admission aside, one has to appreciate the timing and anticipation on the throw. Look at the state of play when Cousins lets this pass fly:
London has yet to turn his head around, Slay is peeking to the inside, and Cousins is letting it fly. Textbook from Cousins on this play, and this drive.
Of course, much of the post-game chatter has focused on the Eagles. From Saquon Barkley’s drop on 3rd and 3 that stopped the clock, and set the stage for this drive, to how Philadelphia’s secondary played on this final possession from Atlanta.
Still, we can also acknowledge that this is what the Falcons were hoping for. These are the kinds of moments Atlanta envisioned when they signed Cousins to a four-year deal worth up to $180 million, with $50 million of that a signing bonus and $100 million guaranteed: A game-winning drive executed to perfection, and the ability to steal a win from the jaws of defeat.
Something Falcons fans have longed to see for a very long time.
