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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA — Kirk Cousins spent the past week answering questions about his health, whether or not his rough performance in Week 1 was just rust or something more concerning. Maybe his surgically repaired right Achilles tendon had not fully recovered.
Cousins put those questions to rest, at least in the interim, by leading the Atlanta Falcons on a sublime game-winning drive Monday on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“We found a way to win, and we can build on that, and I think [it’ll] build some character and some resolve in our group,” Cousins said in the postgame news conference.
The Falcons won 22-21 after a 70-yard scoring drive was capped by Cousins’ 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Drake London with 34 seconds left. Cousins has now won four of his past five “Monday Night Football” games. And this was Raheem Morris’ first victory as the full-time head coach of the Falcons.
On the final drive, Cousins was 5-of-6 passing. He now has six go-ahead passing touchdowns in the final minute of regulation or overtime since becoming a full-time starter in 2015, according to ESPN Research. Only Derek Carr (8) has more during that span.
In a Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cousins struggled in his first game back from tearing his right Achilles in Week 8 last season while playing with the Minnesota Vikings. He was 16-of-26 passing for 155 yards with a touchdown and two costly interceptions. It was a disappointing performance for the quarterback, whom the Falcons signed to a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason.
Things didn’t start off smoothly Monday, either. The Falcons had just one touchdown in the first three quarters. But by the end, Cousins had posted a strong stat line: 20-of-29 passing for 241 yards and two touchdowns.
“[Cousins] was just getting so much criticism throughout this whole week,” said Atlanta safety Jessie Bates III, who had the game-sealing interception. “[People were saying] ‘Kirk can’t move, Kirk can’t do this.’ Watch his poise. I mean, that wasn’t his first two-minute drive.”
And most importantly, the Falcons got a much-needed win prior to the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs coming to Atlanta in Week 3 for another prime-time game. The Falcons will host the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — their NFC South rivals, both of whom are undefeated — after that.
“It’s really, really important for us to be able to come in here and get a win,” Cousins said. “We had to do it any way we could and, as so many NFL games do really, it came down to the final drive. Just proud of the way we kept playing, kept fighting.”