Kirk Cousins got his swagger back

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Against Tampa Bay, Kirk Cousins unveiled a new form, that would help Atlanta reach new heights.

If you’re as chronically online as me, you’ll know the TikTok trend of someone saying “Me at my son’s X birthday party throwing absolute piss missiles in the backyard (I’m hammered and think I’m insert QB here)”.

Well, the best way to describe Kirk Cousins night last night was that we’ll make TikToks about this specific performance soon. Cousins was on fire from the moment he stepped on the field, going 42/58 for 509 yards and four TDs as the Falcons came back to upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime. On a night where Falcons legend Matt Ryan was honored at halftime, Cousins broke the single game passing record Ryan set in 2016. Cousins night was so impressive by almost all advanced stats as well. His total EPA of 22.4 was the highest total EPA a QB has accumulated against a Todd Bowles-coached Tampa Bay defense EVER.

It was incredible quarterbacking, while also showcasing the growth that Cousins has made and is still making at age 36.

In a lot of ways, this game reminded me a lot of the times Matthew Stafford faced a Bowles-led defense as a member of the Los Angeles Rams. Both are aging pocket passers, who ultimately didn’t really need the movement associated with play action or too many RPOs against this defense. Of Cousins’ 58 dropbacks, only five used play action. In that 2021 game Stafford played, only four of those dropbacks had play action. Atlanta’s current offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson, was the assistant QBs coach during Stafford’s bonanza, and he called the game like he had a guy of Stafford’s caliber back there.

It was evident early on that the Bucs would try to heat up and hit Cousins using both simulated pressures and creeper pressures. Simulated pressures are when the defense shows the blitz and then may drop people from the line of scrimmage, while creepers look like any normal play and then they bring the heat. However, Tampa came into this game hurting. All-world safety Antione Winfield Jr didn’t play in this game, along with pass rusher Calijah Kancey and coverage linebacker SirVocea Dennis. All this comes up the spine of the defense, where Cousins and Atlanta hunted for the ENTIRE GAME.

This was the first offensive play of the game for Atlanta. Tampa brings a simulated pressure where they have five people at the line of scrimmage, but drop LB Lavonte David and bring both slot defenders. Cousins is unfazed by this, because his answers are already built in. Blitz gets picked up and Cousins hits TE Kyle Pitts running down the seam against David.

Now, the seams and the spine of the defense were huge in this game, because Atlanta attacked those second level defenders with various motions and high-low concepts. This puts that underneath defender (a LB, nickel or dropping EDGE) in a bind because they have to make a split second decision to take away the deep route or give up YAC on the shorter route. This was a staple with the Stafford Rams, something Robinson brought to Atlanta. He also brought WR Drake London inside to the slot, where now you can play matchup ball and isolate him on those poorer defenders. London painted a masterpiece from the slot on Thursday, going for eight of his 12 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown from the slot. London is lined up as the inside receiver to the right, and Tampa again runs a creeper pressure where EDGE Yaya Diaby is dropping into the hook lane. However, there’s not much that can fool Kirk Cousins coverage wise. He looks Diaby off and hits London on a dig that moves the chains. Those dig routes are important, put a pin in that.

London’s touchdown was a perfect example of using motion to create favorable situations and matchups for Atlanta’s stars. Short motion by WR Darnell Mooney at the snap gets London isolated on rookie nickel defender Tykee Smith, and that’s a matchup London wins a large majority of the time. Atlanta gave London all the choice routes Cooper Kupp ran in LA, and on Thursday he was cooking with them. Look at all the space London is given, especially with the running back releasing to the right.

This play comes off the same formation and the same motion, but different design. Tampa brings David on a blitz and drops DE Anthony Nelson, but Nelson has no shot of getting out to London on this dig to make this throw difficult. Again, the short motion by Mooney gives London more room to work and Cousins fires a strike.

This play came later in the game, but it shows how confident Cousins is in these pure dropback situations and how much his game has grown. Watch Cousins go to work here on backup LB KJ Britt. Atlanta is in a 3×1 formation with London as the slot, and get London working on a dig again with TE Kyle Pitts vacating space for him with an out route. Return motion by WR Ray-Ray McCloud confirms zone coverage, and look at Cousins pump fake to nobody and get Britt leaning before he zips in a London in-breaker. As Kirk has gotten older, his game has actually gotten stronger, and on Thursday he showed off what he and this offense can be in the dropback game.

Eventually, Tampa got tired of being hit over the head with dig routes by Atlanta. In order to insulate their injured linebacker group, Tampa adjusted to having better coverage guys playing the role of the middle running in Tampa 2 or having their safeties trigger hard on any in-breakers Atlanta would throw. Kirk’s second TD of the game was an incredible throw where he beat Tampa on the former. Zyon McCollum is in the slot on this one, but he’s going to turn into the middle runner in Tampa 2. Atlanta is running Dagger, which asks the inside receiver to run a go route for the love of the game and a Dig coming behind it. The go route is supposed to clear out the lane, but rarely is thrown. Except if you’re Kirk Cousins. McCollum turns his head and Kirk rips a touchdown to Mooney, who makes an incredible grab. Watch the anticipation, and when Kirk releases this ball. Top tier QBing at its’ finest.

Now, Tampa has safety Jordan Whitehead hammering hard on every dig route. He almost picked off a dig to end the first half, look at how flat-footed he is! He barely drops into his quarter of the field.

To open the second half, Atlanta played off that tendency, and threw it right where Whitehead was supposed to be. London is once again in the slot, and they punish Whitehead for being flat footed. London runs right past him and Cousins puts it on the back shoulder. You’ll notice a trend here: motion opening up London for more slot usage. Intentional motion to win space and leverage was a staple of the Rams offense, and Robinson brought that to Atlanta with him.

This is the Falcons dropback game at its’ best, and it’s led by a confident and on fire Kirk Cousins. You play a dangerous game with how volatile Cousins can be as a passer, but at his age he can operate this style of passing game. Cousins manipulating underneath defenders without the use of play action, while also standing in and firing strikes under pressure is exactly what Falcons fans wanted this season—an adult at QB. With Robinson giving him the Stafford diet of passes, there’s only hope that this offense can get even better, which is exciting for Atlanta’s hopes this season. The defense still has question marks, but if the offense can feast on Cousins-to-London in the slot and get a few bangers from Kirk, they’ll go far.