Kirk Cousins led the game-winning drive on “Monday Night Football” against the Philadelphia Eagles, but historically, prime-time games were not kind to the Atlanta Falcons quarterback.
Before Monday night’s 22-21 thriller at Lincoln Financial Field, Cousins was 12-20 in prime-time games. At one point in his career, he had lost nine straight “MNF” games.
The narrative of the lights being too bright for the quarterback followed him from team to team, and Falcons fans held their breath Monday during the team’s last drive to see if their new signing could deliver.
Trailing by six points with 1:39 remaining in the fourth quarter, Cousins took over on his 30-yard line. He went 5-of-6 and found wide receiver Drake London for the game-tying touchdown with 34 seconds left. Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo slotted away the go-ahead extra point.
Both the Falcons and Cousins strengthened the case for their partnership with the resilient away win. Atlanta gave the former Minnesota Viking a four-year, $180 million contract this past offseason on the back of an Achilles tear. The organization then perplexingly selected Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft weeks later.
If Cousins can be the quarterback of that game-winning drive for Atlanta this season, the contract and the pick are worth the gamble. He can provide veteran play for a team full of young offensive talent like London, Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts while mentoring his successor.
The veteran’s poise won the Falcons the game. Perhaps his past prime-time adversity provided him the composure to get Atlanta to 1-1.
The 36-year-old has now won three of his last four prime-time games, improving to 4-10 on “MNF.” With three prime-time games remaining for the Falcons this season, including against divisional rival Tampa Bay on Oct. 3, the organization will hope Cousins’ woes remain old news.
