After the Bucs forged back ahead, 30-27, the Falcons had a pair of chances to tie or go ahead but appeared to squander any chance of victory. First, Mooney dropped a ball in the breadbasket on third-and-6 that might well have been a go-ahead score had he hauled it in. A play later, a Koo field goal was blocked.
A Jessie Bates forced fumble gave Atlanta another shot, but Cousins was soon thereafter picked off by Lavonte David.
For all intents and purposes, that was going to turn the lights off on any Falcons comeback aspirations. The Atlanta defense stood strong once again, though, and gave Cousins one more shot to be Comeback Kirk.
Cousins took it, engineering consecutive clutch drives that have propelled the Falcons to three straight wins and into first place in the NFC South.
Just how impressive and historic was Cousins’ performance? He joined Tom Brady, back in 2011 with the New England Patriots, as the only players to ever produce 500-plus passing yards and four or more TD passes in a prime-time game, according to NFL Research.
After an 0-1 start, Cousins’ rally against the Eagles provided evidence of just why the Falcons signed him to a blockbuster free-agent deal. Following a win over the New Orleans Saints in which the offense went TD-less, Cousins, who seems all the way back from his 2023 season-ending Achilles tear, reaffirmed just how stellar this offense can be on Thursday night.
“His game is all about confidence,” Morris said. “His game is about going out there and getting better every single week. That’s what he’s been doing since he’s been back. He’s coming off a significant injury and I’ve watched him get better every single week.”
For so long, the Cousins narrative was that he wasn’t ready for prime time.
He’s most certainly ready, willing and leading the Falcons to some memorable moments under the lights.
“I’m proud of the way our team fought,” Cousins said. “I’m proud of the resiliency we showed to just keep going and keep playing through things. I’m just proud of the grit. That’s what this league takes, and we were gritty tonight so pleased to come away with a win. Win or lose, I would have been pleased with the steps we took on offense tonight, but it’s a lot of fun to win and have that moment on the field with your teammates and home fans.”
