Kirk Cousins Defended by Jessie Bates III from Criticism After Falcons Beat Eagles

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III pushed back against criticism of Kirk Cousins after the veteran quarterback led the team on a six-play, 70-yard drive late in the fourth quarter to cap off a stunning 22-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Bates explained he's "happy that we got" Cousins following his late heroics to get the Falcons their first victory of the season.

"Kirk throughout this whole week was getting so much criticism. 'Kirk can't move. Kirk can't do this,'" Bates said. "And then to watch his poise, that wasn't his first two-minute drive and to see how sharp it was … . The leaders on this team, when it's time to make a play, that's who we lean on, and I'm happy that we got him."

There was a lot of concern about the health of Cousins' Achilles coming out of a lackluster Week 1 performance. He finished 16-of-26 for 155 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in an 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Beyond the box score, though, was how Cousins was moving in that game and how predictable the offense had to be to account for it. There were also videos from Falcons practice in the days leading up to the Eagles game in which he looked to have very limited mobility.

Cousins didn't help the situation when Troy Aikman said on the Monday Night Football broadcast prior to kickoff that the Falcons quarterback told him he's not 100 percent healthy, but he feels 100 percent standing in the pocket.

That turned out to be prophetic because the Eagles didn't have one pressure on the Falcons' final drive. Cousins was able to stand in the pocket and pick apart the defense. He went 5-of-6 for 70 yards, capped off by a seven-yard touchdown pass to Drake London with 34 seconds remaining.

Cousins finished the game 20-of-29 for 241 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and was only sacked once.

Even more encouraging for the Falcons is Cousins looked more comfortable as the game went along. They only had zero points and 42 yards on 10 plays in their first two drives before scoring on five of their next six possessions.

Cousins tore his Achilles on Oct. 29, 2023, and he didn't appear in a preseason game for the Falcons. Week 1 was his first game action after the injury, so it was reasonable to expect some rust against a good Steelers defense.

Now that it appears Cousins and the offense have found a rhythm to carry forward, the Falcons look a lot more interesting as a potential playoff contender in the NFC. They will be able to prove where they stand in the overall NFL hierarchy in Week 3 when they host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.