Kirk Cousins ​​gets another shot after Saquon Barkley drops, and it comes as the Falcons beat the Eagles.

Kirk Cousins ​​needed a big moment Monday night. 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 going 70 yards to get it for the win. Suddenly the cousins ​​came alive.

Cousins ​​quickly moved the team downfield. Cousins ​​completed 5 of 6 passes on a quick drive and hit Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left. The extra point was more difficult after London was penalized for 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct, but Yongho Ku hit it and the Falcons led 22-21. Jalen Hurts then threw an interception under pressure and the game ended.

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

Until then, the Falcons had to worry a bit about their $180 million quarterback and where the season was headed. He's heard through his career that he's not clutch and that he shrinks in prime time. Then he came up with a drive that could have changed Atlanta's early season trajectory.

Monday night didn't score much

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

In the second quarter, the Eagles finally got it going on offense a bit. Two big plays came when, somehow, the Falcons' defense 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 the first touchdown of the game with 5:15 left in the second quarter. Philly leads 7-3.

The Falcons had one good drive in the first half before being stopped inside the 5-yard line. On third down, Cousins ​​threw it away to avoid taking a sack because the Falcons had no timeouts and no time to field a field-goal team. At the time, things looked tough for the Falcons' offense. Cousins ​​missed some potential big plays because he either wasn't seeing things well or was slow to react. 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 Monday night's crowd was not impressed. Through six quarters, the Falcons had just one touchdown. There wasn't much hope that it would suddenly click when it mattered most.

The teams went ahead in the second half

The Falcons offense finally had a breakthrough in the second half. Darnell Mooney found Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the middle of the field, Cousins ​​spotted him and hit him. Mooney freed Gardner-Johnson near the goal line and scored on a 42-yard touchdown. That gave the Falcons a 15-10 lead.

For an offense that has struggled to do virtually everything since the season began, seeing Mooney get free for a touchdown was a momentous occasion. And it led to Atlanta.

The Eagles responded. They went on an 85-yard drive that chewed up 9:34 of the clock. It looked like Barkley had scored, but to the chagrin of some fantasy football managers sweating on Monday night's game, Barkley was downed at the half yard line. Harts scored on a Tush push on the next play and the Eagles went back in front. Barkley just got in on the 2-point conversion and the Eagles lead 18-15.

The Falcons then appeared to have squandered their best chance to win. They got the ball back with 6:47 left and couldn't pick up a first down. On third-and-10, London ran a short route short of the stick, and then Bejon Robinson was crushed behind the line for a huge stop and loss of possession by Gardner-Johnson.

The Eagles picked up a few first downs after that and ran down 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 put them up 21–15, Cousins ​​had one more chance to drive his team 70 yards for a touchdown and the win.

At that point, Falcon and Cousins ​​didn't do much. But he brought a surgical drive to conquer it. The Falcons paid $180 million for it.