Kirk Cousins ​​needed a big moment Monday night. And so did the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons offense had just two touchdowns on the season when Cousins ​​took over with 1:39 left in the game, needing a touchdown and 70 yards to clinch the win. Suddenly, Cousins ​​came alive.

Cousins ​​quickly moved the team down the field. Cousins ​​completed 5 of 6 passes on a quick drive, hitting Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left. The extra point was tougher after London was assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but Younghoe Koo connected and the Falcons led 22-21. Jalen Hurts then threw an interception under pressure and the game was over.

The Eagles were in position to win. But on a third-and-3, Saquon Barkley dropped a wide-open pass that would have resulted in a touchdown or a game-ending first down. That drop gave Cousins ​​a chance to have his first big moment for the Falcons.

Up until that point, the Falcons had to worry a little bit about their $180 million quarterback and where the season was headed. All he’d heard in his career was that he’s not clutch and that he shrinks in prime time. Then he came along with a drive that could change the course of Atlanta’s early season.

Not much scored on Monday evening

Neither team was sharp early on. The Eagles moved a bit in the first quarter, but on fourth-and-4 from the Falcons’ 9-yard line, Philadelphia passed up a field-goal try, went for it, and threw incomplete. The Falcons didn’t move much, but at least Cousins ​​was lined up under center, unlike in Week 1. Last week, the Falcons played almost exclusively pistol and shotgun, and it seemed like offensive play-calling was limited because Cousins ​​couldn’t move.

In the second quarter, the Eagles finally got things going on offense. Two big plays came when the Falcons defense somehow let Hurts run and he picked up conversions on fourth-and-3 and third-and-11. DeVonta Smith had a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone and with 5:15 left in the second quarter, the game had its first touchdown. Philly led 7-3.

The Falcons had a good drive at the end of the first half. But it stalled inside the 5-yard line. On third down, Cousins ​​threw the drive away to avoid a sack, as the Falcons were out of timeouts and wouldn’t have had time to get the field goal team on the field. At that point, everything seemed to be going wrong for the Falcons offense. Cousins ​​missed a number of potentially big plays because he didn’t see things well or reacted slowly. Cousins ​​had just 75 yards passing in the first half, and Atlanta didn’t get into the end zone before halftime.

The Eagles led 7-6 at halftime, and the crowd on Monday night was not impressed. Through six quarters, the Falcons scored just one touchdown. There was little hope that things would suddenly click when it mattered most.

Teams exchange leads in the 2nd half

Finally, the Falcons offense broke through in the second half. Darnell Mooney got past Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson into the empty middle of the field, Cousins ​​saw him and made a pass. Mooney shook free of Gardner-Johnson at the goal line and scored a 42-yard touchdown. That gave the Falcons a 15-10 lead.

For an offense that had worked hard since the beginning of the season to do virtually everything, it was a momentous occasion to see Mooney score a touchdown. And it gave Atlanta the lead.

The Eagles responded. They went on an 85-yard drive that ate up 9:34 of the clock. It looked like Barkley would score, but to the chagrin of a number of fantasy football managers sweating through Monday night’s game, Barkley was sent down at the half-yard line. Hurts scored on a tush push the next play and the Eagles were back ahead. Barkley barely made the 2-point conversion and the Eagles led 18-15.

The Falcons then appeared to blow their best chance to win the game. They got the ball back with 6:47 left and couldn’t get a first down. London ran a route in front of the sticks on third-and-10 and then Bijan Robinson was crushed behind the line by Gardner-Johnson for a huge stop and a loss of possession.

The Eagles were able to get a couple of first downs after that and run out the clock. But Barkley’s big drop on third down stopped the clock at 1:42, giving the Falcons another chance to win. After an Eagles field goal to give them a 21-25 lead, Cousins ​​had another chance to drive his team 70 yards for a touchdown and the win.

Up until that point, the Falcons and Cousins ​​​​hadn’t done much. But he came with a surgical drive to win it. The Falcons paid $180 million for it.