What Kirk Cousins’ had to say after the Falcons’ 24-10 win over the Saints
NEW ORLEANS -- Here’s what Kirk Cousins had to say after the 24-10 win over the Saints on Sunday:
Opening Statement: “It’s always gratifying to be able to win an NFL game on the road, and it’s never easy. I feel like most wins in this league are team wins, but today certainly was one when you think about how offense made plays, defense only allowed three points, and special teams stood up in multiple moments, whether that was the (missed) kicks or the field position they gave us. It felt like we leaned on everybody today and that’s what makes it fun, feeling like you’re flying home as a whole team that contributed to winning that game. I’m looking forward to watching the tape tomorrow and being able to talk through everything to try and keep getting better.”
On Dylan Drummond and David Sills V being involved in the passing game: “Yeah, I thought it was a great design by Zac (Robinson) and the staff to get David that open in the low red. It’s rare to have a guy be able to cross toward the goalposts there in the back of the end zone. The Saints did a good job of passing the inside route off, I think it was KP (Kyle Pitts Sr.) on that route. He passed it off when they were in transition, and we were able to hit it just as they were transitioning back. It was great to get David (Sills) involved there, and Dylan (Drummond) showed up big in the two minutes before the half. He’s got great hands, great intelligence, and I really trust him. We were working together on scout team a lot this season, and even in training camp. He showed a lot, and there is a reason that he’s on this football team. It was great having him out there today.”
On the execution of the 49-yard pass to Darnell Mooney: “We had run a few play actions throughout the game and got a variety of coverages against them. You never know what you’re going to get when you dial it up. They played a fairly aggressive quarter there. I think KP attracted some attention as he came across the field, which kept them a little flat footed. The key for me was knowing how (Mooney) can really run. When you feel like he’s getting even with somebody, I say if you’re even you’re leaving, by the time the ball gets there he’s going to have hopefully blown by them. I just threw that with a lot of trust that if Mooney can get through there, he’s going to make me right when the ball arrives, and he did. It was great to get that, and was a big moment in the game.”
On the emotion that came with his big play to Mooney: “I think it was a combination of hitting a big throw, and also what that meant in the flow of the game. Explosive plays are always exciting. We decided to go for two so we couldn’t celebrate for too long. I’m trying to run down there, and the offensive linemen are having a party in the end zone, and I tell them to get back to the huddle. We got another play to run; the play clock is running! So, it was a good moment. I think that everyone exhaled after that one, and then to get the 2-point conversion I felt was a big deal as well, to be able to pound that in there. It was a great run by the guys.”
On how knowing if he would start had affected his preparation for the game: “I think we had a sharp week of practice and being able to get those reps helps. The week is a process, and you try to just build that process all the way to Sunday and then let the product on Sunday show. Sometimes, practice doesn’t mimic the game, and you have a great week, and the game isn’t as good. But today I felt like it built all week, and it was able to come to fruition.”
On his collaboration during the week with Zac Robinson on the game plan: “I don’t think it was too much me, I wasn’t necessarily in there on Tuesday giving him a bunch of thoughts. It was more that Zac knows me pretty well by now, what I’m comfortable with, and knows what I like, do well, and don’t do well. I think he factors that in as he thinks through the game plan on Monday and Tuesday. Coming in on Wednesday, I started to see where we were headed with it, and I felt pretty excited about what we were going to do. You never know until you get into the game, and I thought the game was fun to work through together and get a lot of different teammates involved.”
On how much the team needed this win: “Any time you go on the road to be able to get a win is a big shot in the arm in a good way. Now we have to build on it. There’s so much football left and so much work left. It starts tomorrow morning with having candid conversations about how I want to be coached and criticized in a way that acts like we lost. I think that’s how you have to do it the Monday after a game. So, we’ll have those conversations and keep trying to get better. But it’s much more fun to have them after a win.”
On his confidence in all of the play action tonight: “Yeah, I’ve always enjoyed play action. I think they did a good job defending a few of them where we had to check it down or throw it away. I think it’s good to try and get them called and see if we can’t get some explosives out of it. I do think we left some meat on the bone there, I think [Kyle Pitts Sr.] was open on one that we couldn’t connect on. So, we’ll keep trying to build that to where we can really lean on them.”
On lowering his shoulder during the scramble to the sideline: “I put my boys in wrestling, so I’m trying to show them what it looks like to have some grit in your life. Honestly, it was the perfect storm. You got to get out of bounds, you have to get the first down, and I see (Justin Reid) from out of bounds coming at me. I thought, this is going to be a collision, but I don’t know how to do this any other way. So, I just said let’s take it back to high school and lower the shoulder and may the best man win. I don’t know who won that one, it might have been a stalemate in which tie goes to the runner.”
On how much it helps to have a kicker he can trust: “In today’s NFL, with the way that they have even changed some of the rules in the last couple of years, games are going to come down to the final possession more often than not. You see it every Sunday. The kicks are just such a big deal, and you do all you can as an offense to not have to rely on it, but you also know that it can be such a big part of your team’s success.”
On his eagerness to build and improve after watching the film: “That’s what it’s all about, is to be analytical and go back and ask yourself, how can we do this better? What did we leave out there? I’m going to wear out D.J. Williams tomorrow hopefully with a lot of questions and I think he’ll have a lot of good answers for me too. He’ll tell me what I got to do better and what we left out there, and we’ll build on that. I do think Brandon Staley and that defense did a good job today and made it hard on us. We’ll bring up a lot of good points tomorrow.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
