Eagles Collapse Late, Falcons Steal Victory in Monday Night Thriller

The Atlanta Falcons earned their first win of the season in a hard-fought battle in Philadelphia. The Falcons came from behind to win a 22-21 “Monday Night Football” thriller over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Atlanta was down by six points with 1:39 left in the fourth quarter and Kirk Cousins engineered a game-winning 70-yard touchdown drive. Wide receiver Drake London caught the game-winning TD that had the Philadelphia crowd stunned.

The Eagles had a final opportunity to retake the lead late in the fourth quarter, but Jalen Hurts’ long pass intended for wide receiver DeVonta Smith was intercepted by Falcons safety Jessie Bates, which sealed the ballgame.

The back-and-forth game had six lead changes.

Philadelphia had an opportunity to put the game away up 18-15 late in the fourth quarter. However, running back Saquon Barkley mishandled what would’ve been a first-down catch on third-and-3. The Eagles had to settle for a short field goal that left the window open for Atlanta with less than two minutes to play.

Cousins had 241 passing yards and two touchdowns in the win. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson tallied 122 yards from scrimmage.

Hurts had 183 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, 85 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the loss.

Bates, who had the game-ending interception, led all players with 12 tackles. — Tyler Dragon

Falcons Storm Back in the Fourth Quarter

Kirk Cousins led a late-game touchdown drive as the Falcons stunned the Eagles on “Monday Night Football.” The Falcons trailed by six with no timeouts and 1:39 remaining, yet drove 70 yards in six plays in just 65 seconds for the winning score.

With no timeouts, the Falcons went 70-yards in just over a minute to take the lead with 34 seconds remaining. Kirk Cousins found Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown to tie the game.

After the touchdown, London was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, backing the extra point 15 yards and making it a 47-yard try. Younghoe Koo wasn’t fazed and drilled the extra point right down the middle to make it a 22-21 game. — Jordan Mendoza

Eagles Miss Opportunity to Secure Win

The Eagles were so close to sealing a win.

On third down and the Falcons with no timeouts, Philadelphia ran a pass from Jalen Hurts to Saquon Barkley just like the touchdown catch earlier. However, Barkley couldn’t hold onto the catch and dropped it as he moved toward the first down marker.

The Eagles settled for a 28-yard field goal from Jake Elliott to make it a 21-15 game and the Falcons will get a chance to tie and possibly take the lead. — Jordan Mendoza

Gardner-Johnson Makes Crucial Defensive Play

So far, C.J. Gardner-Johnson has made the defensive play of Philadelphia's season -- as long as they keep the lead.

Gardner-Johnson made a massive tackle on Falcons running back Bijan Robinson on fourth-and-one on Atlanta's 39-yard-line late in the fourth quarter to give Philadelphia back possession.

Now, Philly just has to burn the clock and they'll be 2-0.

Eagles Take the Lead in the Fourth Quarter

The Eagles went on a 9-minute, 34-second, 17-play drive to retake the lead over the Atlanta Falcons midway through the fourth quarter.

Jalen Hurts scored on a “tush push” on first-and-goal after Saquon Barkley was ruled down on the 1-yard line to give Philadelphia the lead. Barkley then converted on a two-point conversion to make it 18-15.

The Falcons will take over the ball with 6:47 left in the game.

Falcons Strike First in the Second Half

On the following drive, the Falcons scored on a 42-yard pass to Darnell Mooney after a massive fourth-down conversion to give Atlanta a 15-10 lead over the Eagles.

The Falcons went for two but Kirk Cousins' pass fell incomplete.

On the touchdown, Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson missed a tackle on Mooney as he walked into the end zone.

Right before the score, the Falcons picked up the first down on fourth-and-four from their own 47-yard line on an 11-yard pass from Cousins to Ray-Ray McCloud.

Eagles Reclaim Lead in Third Quarter

The Eagles didn't trail against the Falcons for long.

On the following drive, Jake Elliott hit a 29-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 10-9 lead late into the third quarter.

The Falcons marched down the field thanks to several big gains by running back Bijan Robinson, but they were forced to settle for a field goal after a sack on Kirk Cousins by Milton Williams.

Falcons Take the Lead Early in Third Quarter

Younghoe Koo booted in a 34-yard field goal -- his third of the game -- to give Atlanta a 9-7 lead early in the third quarter,

The Falcons were at third-and-four on Philadelphia's 12-yard line but Williams came through with a massive sack to end Atlanta's drive. It was Philadelphia's first sack of the game.

Eagles Lead at Halftime

The Eagles lead the Falcons, 7-6, at halftime on Monday Night Football.

The Falcons threatened to take the lead late in the second quarter, but the Eagles forced a stop near the goal line. Atlanta settled for a 22-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo.

Hurts and Eagles Find the End Zone in the Second Quarter

Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia's offense only found the end zone one time on four possessions -- not including the kneel-down at the end of the half. Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith on a 7-yard touchdown pass with 5:15 left in the second quarter that made it 7-3.

Hurts has completed 9 of his 13 passes for 70 yards and rushed four 52 yards on five carries. Hurts had two massive runs on the scoring the drive, including one that went four 23 yards on fourth-and-three.

Smith leads the Eagles in receiving with three catches for 30 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles are still lacking a pass rush. They haven't been able to get to Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins at all in the first half.

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has also carved up the Eagles for 72 yards on 10 carries.

The Falcons will get the ball to start the third quarter.

Smith Catches Touchdown Pass to Give Eagles Lead

DeVonta Smith hauled in a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to give the Eagles a 7-3 lead over the Falcons with 5:15 left in the second quarter.

Hurts helped keep the drive alive with two massive runs, including one that went for 23 yards on fourth-and-three. Hurts now has five carries for 52 yards and 70 yards passing to go along with his touchdown pass to Smith.

Falcons Take Early Lead

The Falcons took the lead over the Eagles, 3-0, after a 39-yard field goal from Atlanta kicker Younghoe Koo early in the second quarter.

The Birds now trail the Falcons with 11:22 left in the first half.

Mitchell Almost Gets Interception

After the Eagles turned the ball over on downs, rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell nearly got it right back.

Mitchell jumped a pass from Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins intended for wideout Drake London, but the rookie out of Toledo wasn't able to corral the pass.

The incompletion forced the Falcons to punt, so the Eagles will get another crack to find the end zone.

Eagles Turn Ball Over on Downs

The Eagles failed to convert on fourth down in the red zone after driving down the field thanks to multiple long runs by Saquon Barkley.

Barkley had runs of 9, 10, 11 and 11 to get the Eagles to the 15-yard line, but after that, he didn't touch the ball.

After burning a timeout, the Eagles decided to go for it on fourth-and-four from the 9-yard line but Jalen Hurts' pass to Dallas Goedert was incomplete, which led to the Birds turning the ball over on downs midway through the first quarter.

Eagles Go for it on Fourth Down

The Eagles found themselves in third-and-9 from their own 49-yard line on their first drive.

The Eagles weren't able to pick up the first down after offensive coordinator Kellen Moore called a quarterback draw for Jalen Hurts, who only picked up 3 yards.

The call led to boos from the crowd as the Birds punted the ball.

Eagles Inactive Players

Today's inactives#ATLvsPHI pic.twitter.com/9FwMPGhUms

Along with A.J. Brown, the Eagles listed linebacker Devin White as a healthy scratch against the Falcons.

About the Author

Tom Ignudo is a digital content producer at CBS Philadelphia. Before he joined CBS Philadelphia in 2021, Tom covered high school and college sports for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He covers breaking news, sports and more.