<img alt="Atlanta Falcons v Philadelphia Eagles" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6lE9nxcaVS_XvA1AL_lMz95TswM=/0x0:6111x4074/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73592092/2172518175.0.jpg">
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
It was a statement win and a statement final drive for Cousins, who showed why the Falcons so badly wanted him in Atlanta. That had to feel good.
Kirk Cousins was focused on what he could do better in the aftermath of that game, as you’d expect from him, but there had to be a honey-sweet sense of satisfaction underneath that for the veteran quarterback. After a long recovery from an Achilles injury and a poor performance in Week 1 that had everyone asking whether he was still injured, rusty, or both, Cousins overcome a slowish start to catch fire in the second half. It was his precise passing on the game’s final drive that made the improbable win possible.
That’s why despite Bijan Robinson’s eye-opening excellence and Zac Robinson’s clever and winning game plan, it’s Cousins who takes home the very prestigious Falcoholic game MVP award for Week 2. He had to navigate blistering criticism and doubt, as Zac Robinson did, but he did had to do so while out there and working through early struggles. With a friendlier gameplan, better pass protection, and increasing confidence as the game went on, Cousins threw two touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over once, clocked the 12th highest passing yardage total of the week, and turned in the third-best passer rating of the week. It was the last drive that really cemented this performance, though, as Cousins was fast, decisive, and lethally efficient when the Falcons needed him to be all of those things to earn a last minute victory.
For an older quarterback coming off a major injury, not every moment early on will be that good, and we should expect ups and downs as a matter of course. But Cousins showed both fire and ability in this Week 2 win that bodes well for the 2024 season and this Falcons offense, and he’s a deserving most valuable player for that crucial win over the Eagles.
<img alt="Atlanta Falcons v Philadelphia Eagles" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6lE9nxcaVS_XvA1AL_lMz95TswM=/0x0:6111x4074/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73592092/2172518175.0.jpg">
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
It was a statement win and a statement final drive for Cousins, who showed why the Falcons so badly wanted him in Atlanta. That had to feel good.
Kirk Cousins was focused on what he could do better in the aftermath of that game, as you’d expect from him, but there had to be a honey-sweet sense of satisfaction underneath that for the veteran quarterback. After a long recovery from an Achilles injury and a poor performance in Week 1 that had everyone asking whether he was still injured, rusty, or both, Cousins overcome a slowish start to catch fire in the second half. It was his precise passing on the game’s final drive that made the improbable win possible.
That’s why despite Bijan Robinson’s eye-opening excellence and Zac Robinson’s clever and winning game plan, it’s Cousins who takes home the very prestigious Falcoholic game MVP award for Week 2. He had to navigate blistering criticism and doubt, as Zac Robinson did, but he did had to do so while out there and working through early struggles. With a friendlier gameplan, better pass protection, and increasing confidence as the game went on, Cousins threw two touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over once, clocked the 12th highest passing yardage total of the week, and turned in the third-best passer rating of the week. It was the last drive that really cemented this performance, though, as Cousins was fast, decisive, and lethally efficient when the Falcons needed him to be all of those things to earn a last minute victory.
For an older quarterback coming off a major injury, not every moment early on will be that good, and we should expect ups and downs as a matter of course. But Cousins showed both fire and ability in this Week 2 win that bodes well for the 2024 season and this Falcons offense, and he’s a deserving most valuable player for that crucial win over the Eagles.
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