COMPLETE RESULTS

1. Falcons steal away win. Atlanta spent most of the night relying on the running game because it was their best strategy. Bijan Robinson finished the game with 97 yards on 14 attempts, a stellar 6.9 yards per carry. But much like Week 1, the Falcons couldn’t finish their offense in the end zone, and there was little reason to believe they would suddenly improve their inconsistent passing game with just 1:39 left to play and 70 yards between them and the end zone. Boy, were we wrong. Kirk Cousins found his old form at the crucial point and scored with Kyle Pitts to start the drive, then masterfully run the hurry-up offense and pass for Daniel Mooney down the left sideline and scored 21 and 26 points to bring the Falcons into the Eagles’ red zone. Two plays later, he found Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown pass that capped a stunning final drive that snatched the lead from the Eagles and shocked the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field, delivering a finish almost no one expected on the national stage. If anyone thought the Falcons were going to have a rough road with Cousins ​​at quarterback, they got a great rebuttal on Monday night in a key scene, saving the Falcons from that dreaded 0-2 start.
2. Eagles waste Hurts masterpiece. Jalen injured was outstanding on Monday night, extending many plays with his legs and leading a scoring drive almost entirely through his scrambling, including a 15-yard run that required Hurts to evade a defender and run through a few more to score the first down. His passes, while not productive, were also sharp and featured a healthy early mix of Hurts playmaking and Saquon Barkley runs, the Eagles did enough to set themselves up for what seemed like a 2-0 start. But when the wheels fell off, it happened quickly, and when Hurts regained possession and had a chance to save Philadelphia, his ambition won out as he sent a sailing pass toward DeVonta Smith on the sidelines and watched Jessie Bates slipped in the game-winning interception. Hurts did enough to win this game by showing toughness, perseverance and leadership. Eagles fans – and the Eagles themselves – will need some time to process the pain of this loss.
3. Cousins ​​​​finds his old form again. Atlanta admitted it needed to give Kirk Cousins ​​a more comfortable position after not giving him much fight on offense in Week 1, and proved that from the start by moving Cousins ​​back to his familiar position under center for the first three snaps of the game. In typical Cousins ​​fashion, the first two handoffs and the third were a play-action pass, sending a much-needed signal that the Falcons were willing to adjust their approach to their highly paid quarterback. Cousins ​​didn’t quite get going, however, finishing the first half with a passing line of 7-of-13 for 75 yards. The second half was a different story, however, as Cousins ​​got going, completing 13 of his final 16 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns, breaking through with a pass over the middle to Mooney for a touchdown and capping that off emphatically with his frantic final scoring drive. On that final possession alone, Cousins ​​appeared to have found his arm strength again, as he followed up a misplaced pass (which was completed) with a missile to Mooney, who completed a game-winning pass for the second consecutive game. By the time he reached London, we were all left to process what had just happened – and accept that the reports of Cousins’ demise were exaggerated. If Cousins ​​can be that quarterback consistently going forward, the Falcons will have a say in the suddenly competitive NFC South.
4. Philly needs to clean this up. The Eagles will look back on this game with great regret, and not just because of how the game ended. Philadelphia had a number of positive plays that were wiped out by penalties — including three illegal man downfield flags — and even the positive plays that paid off occasionally involved a catch (e.g., Hurts’ scramble and spike that resulted in a delay of game penalty). It’s still early, and these kinds of small mistakes happen a lot. But nine penalties (accepted for 53 yards) are just too many for a team that wants to compete. Philadelphia played well enough to win for the most part, but its mismanagement at the end and its mistakes — and this is being written after the Eagles took a penalty for Chauncey Gardner-Johnson‘s easy removal of his dislocated helmet after a key fourth-down stop – can’t happen often if the team wants to reclaim the NFC East throne.

Next-gen game statistics: According to the Next Gen Stats win probability model, the Falcons had just a 0.7% chance of winning with 1:56 left in the fourth quarter. Their comeback is the seventh most unlikely win in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016).

NFL Research: After defeats in each of his first nine starts on Monday Night FootballKirk Cousins ​​has now won four of his last five Monday night primetime games. Philadelphia, meanwhile, lost its fourth game in which it led with less than two minutes remaining since the start of the 2023 season, matching the NFL’s highest losing percentage during that span.