The Falcons flew into Philly and left the Eagles stunned, 22-21 on Monday Night Football.
Pressure was on the Falcons to show some life on offense after their letdown of a performance against the Steelers in the first week – it wasn’t perfect, but they showed up when it mattered and came away with the win.
Both teams were slow out of the gate, starting with a couple of punts for each and a turnover-on-downs for the Eagles.
It wasn’t until the Falcons’ third possession that Younghoe Koo scored the first points of the game on a 39-yard field goal, and the Falcons took a 3-0 lead.
The Eagles answered with a strong drive, converting a fourth-and-three and third-and-11 en route to a Devonta Smith touchdown catch, and the Eagles went up 7-3.
The Falcons drove all the way down to the Eagles’ 3-yard line but came up short of a touchdown. Koo knocked another through the uprights to shorten the Eagles’ lead to one, 7-6, and ending the first half.
Opening up the second half with a promising drive, the Falcons couldn’t find the end zone again as Koo kicked his third field goal, giving the Falcons a 9-7 lead.
On the ensuing Eagles’ drive, Falcons’ safety Jessie Bates III knocked the ball out of Smith’s hands to deny an Eagles’ touchdown, forcing them to kick a field goal of their own to take the lead back, 10-9.
The Falcons delivered this time around as Kirk Cousins connected with receiver Darnell Mooney on a 42-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown. Trying to extend the lead to seven, they attempted a 2-point conversion and failed, bringing the score to 15-10 in the Falcons’ favor.
The Eagles could not be stopped in response, eating up a large chunk of the clock with quarterback Jalen Hurts punching it in for a score from the 1-yard line. The lead turns back to the Eagles, 18-15 after they successfully convert a 2-point attempt.
The clock now becoming a factor, the Falcons needed to respond. Three plays later, ion fourth-and-one after receiver Drake London caught the ball just short of a first down. Running back Bijan Robinson got stopped short of the line-to-gain for a turnover-on-downs.
The Eagles get the ball with 5:38 left to play. They took another , but miss the opportunity to end the game when running back Saquon Barkley drops a would-be first down pass. A field goal from kicker Jake Elliot put them up six, 21-15 with just 1:39 left to play.
Starting at their own 30-yard line, the Falcons put together a stunning two-minute drive. Mooney, London, and tight end Kyle Pitts were all involved as the Falcons soared down the field with big play after big play. London caught the game-tying touchdown with just 34 seconds left on the clock as Philly fans looked on in disbelief.
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on London following his touchdown made the extra point a 48-yard attempt – it was no trouble for Koo however, and the Falcons went up by one point.
A field goal would have won it for the Eagles on their desperate final drive, but Hurts panicked under pressure and threw a ball up intended for Smith. Bates came down with it for a game-sealing interception, and the Falcons moved to 1-1 on the season.
His performance wasn’t mind-blowing, but Cousins did enough to get the Falcons the win. His game-winning drive is exactly the kind of thing the Falcons had in mind when they signed him this past offseason, and was a major improvement from what he showed on the field last week, even if the rest of the game wasn’t remarkable.
In addition, London’s involvement in this game was exciting compared to his performance against the Steelers. The star receiver showed up in each crucial moment for the Falcons; none more crucial than his game-winning touchdown.
“You can’t give those guys enough credit, the guys that go out and execute,” head coach Raheem Morris said. “All the credit deserves to go to those guys on offense.”
The Falcons host the Kansas City Chiefs next week on Sunday night in another prime-time game.
