PHILADELPHIA — Kirk Cousins ​​has been fielding questions about his health over the past week, whether his poor Week 1 performance was just rust or something more concerning. Perhaps his surgically repaired right Achilles tendon hadn’t fully healed yet.

Cousins ​​put those questions to rest, at least for now, by leading the Atlanta Falcons to a sublime, game-winning drive Monday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“We found a way to win and we can build on that. I think it will strengthen the character and determination in our group,” Cousins ​​said in the post-match press 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 last five Monday Night Football games. And this was Raheem Morris’ first win as the Falcons’ full-time head coach.

Cousins ​​was 5-of-6 passing on the final drive. 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 in that span.

In a Week 1 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cousins ​​struggled in his first game back after tearing his right Achilles tendon in Week 8 of last season while playing for 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 midseason.

Monday didn’t start out smoothly either. The Falcons had just one touchdown in the first three quarters. But by the end, Cousins ​​had put together a strong stat line: 20 of 29 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns.

“(Cousins) took so much heat all week,” said Atlanta safety Jessie Bates III, who made the game-winning interception. “(People said) ‘Kirk can’t move, Kirk can’t do this.’ Watch his composure. I mean, that wasn’t his first two-minute drive.”

And most importantly, the Falcons got a much-needed win before the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs come to Atlanta for another primetime matchup in Week 3. The Falcons then host the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their NFC South rivals, both of whom are undefeated.

“It’s really, really important for us to come here and win,” Cousins ​​said. “We had to do it one way or another and, like so many NFL games, it came down to the last drive. I’m just proud of the way we kept playing and kept fighting.”