PHILADELPHIA -- Here’s what Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins had to say after the 22-21 win over the Eagles on Monday:
Opening statement: “I’ll start and then I’ll take any questions you have. It was really, really important for us to be able to come in here and get a win. We had to do it anyway we could, and as so many NFL games do, it really came down to the final drive. I’m just proud of the way we kept playing, kept fighting, we leaned on each other. It was really a team win. We needed special teams, needed defense, needed offense, and needed all phases of football within the different parts of our team to be able to win. I’m proud of the way we played, proud of the way we found a way to win, and we can build on that. I think it will build some character and some resolve in our group, and I’m really looking forward to building on that up ahead. We’ve got a short week against a really good opponent now, which is the way the NFL is. So, I’ll take any questions you have.”
On the confidence the Falcons offense showed during their final drive: “We protected well. Guys were dialed in on their routes and made plays. On our coverage structures, you kind of wanted to see, ‘Okay, how are they going to play this?’ They obviously are willing to surrender some yards, they just can’t give up that final touchdown. So, it felt like the first throw was pretty contested, but then had a couple where it felt like they were allowing us to be able to throw things underneath or down the field, as long as we weren’t getting over their heads. And then as we got closer, I thought, ‘Okay, now the cover is going to tighten.’ That was where it was so important that (WR) Drake (London) was able to win the front pylon because we were getting tighter, where it was going to be tight throws.”
On if he felt the pressure at the end of the game with being the big acquisition: “That’s not how I think. Just trying to play football, our teammates win. Get out of here with a win. Enjoy playing, enjoy the competition, enjoy the challenge, the opportunity to resolve what you have to have. Trying to rally, having fun with that, and hopefully being able to give other guys great opportunities. And so that’s really where my mind goes.”
On the team finding ways to win: “Yeah, you know, it’s so important to find ways to win, and that’s how you put together a great season. When you have these games that could go either way, you find a way to have it break your way. That’s the way this league is and so when we can find those inches, it can really change the tale of the season. So, we’re going to have more of those up ahead, and we’re going to have to, as a team, find ways to make the plays to get it done. It’s (Younghoe) Koo making the long extra point, it’s our defense standing up at the end, too. I’ve been a part of games where you go down and score, and then you walk out of here with a loss because you miss that extra point, and you go to overtime, or you don’t get to stop at the end. So, it really does take everybody to find a way to come out here with a win.”
On the team’s final drive: “Yeah. Well, anytime you have a six-point deficit, there’s not much you’re trying to hold on to, you know, if you’re playing with a tie game, you know, maybe you’ve got to be more aware of the negative play that could give the team the ball back in good field position. But when you’re down six, you can certainly, you know, go for broke, but we just tried to take what they gave us and move our way down the field. And we were able to get some chunks that basically got us down there, low enough where the clock wasn’t really our enemy, and we did a good job of getting guys out to the sideline and getting them out of bounds, but still had to make that play, you know, in tight coverage at the end. That’s where I was so proud of Drake for the route he ran, the way he separated, made it easy on me.”
On if the offense unlocked anything: “Yeah, you never know. I think it’s always play to play, week to week. He just, you can never say, ‘Oh, we unlock things and now it’s going to be this or that way.’ Now you just keep fighting every play, and you never know what the next snap is going to bring.”
On how he kept the team calm his last drive: “Well, I just kind of go through my process pretty methodically. If we’re down by 30, up by 30, or in a tight game, you just have your reads, your process, your footwork, your snap count, your play clock, you’re just going through your process and trying to find the open guy. And there’s so much we need to do better from this game, but I’m grateful for the way the result worked out.”
On the conversation with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson after the game: “No, you know, it was pretty straightforward. But no, he was great. He was his usual self, calm, and we were on the same page throughout the game and just shook each other’s hand in the locker room afterward. Obviously, we’re thrilled with the result, but we’re going to keep building a rapport. I think that it’s a work in progress to you know, I’m excited about more time on task together, not just with Zac, but with (QB coach) D.J. (Williams) as my quarterback coach, with my teammates, just every rep out there, we’re learning more about each other, and it’s going to make us a better offense over the course of the year.”
On the difference between primetime game in Philadelphia last year compared to this year: “I played here in Philly 10 times in my career, and had some pretty impactful games, both wins and losses. You know, the big one, the big one that hit me was when I went to the hotel last night, and (former Eagles QB) Nick Foles and his parents were there, and Nick and I were freshmen together at Michigan State in 2007 and that’s my last time I’d seen his parents. And so, to think back on 17, 18, years, and what’s transpired, and when Nick and I arrived as freshmen, I thought there’s concern about how it’s going to work out for both of us. And I was kind of reminded with him getting honored tonight, and said to him at the coin toss, ‘You know, it worked out.’ It worked out for both of us. And so, I was just reflecting last night and today a little bit on our journeys and just God’s blessing of both of our football careers and our families and just his goodness. And so, playing here tonight kind of brought back a lot of those memories on my journey, and it was a fun way to win it.”
On spreading the ball around: “That’s kind of the way I’ve always played. If you go back to Washington, Minnesota, you know, try to distribute the ball, get it to a lot of different guys, get everybody involved. Find the open guy. So, I like knowing that a lot of guys are getting involved, but just try to go to where my reads take me.”
On the running game: “They did a phenomenal job running the football. I thought Zac did a phenomenal job committing to running the football, and Bijan (Robinson) and Tyler (Allgeier) ran hard. O-line blocked it well, handled pressure well. Our receivers do a great job blocking the run game and tight ends as well. So, I was pleased with that. I think it gave us a great chance on the road to be able to have success, and then we didn’t have the penalties. You know, when you have a holding or something that takes you to 2nd and 20, it’s hard to run the football, but when you stay in, you know, 2nd and 3, you know, Zac has this whole call sheet in front of him, so staying out of the penalty, staying out of the longer yardages give us the ability to run the football.”
On if this win means any more because it’s on Monday Night Football: “This is not the world I live in to go out at that, you know. I just try to go out and play football the best I can, whether it’s noon on Sunday or, you know, a night game, what day of the week it is. You just try to go and play your best and, and kind of let it go from there.”
On Zac Robinson’s message to the team before the game: “We were better. There’s still a long way to go, you know, I think we were better [at] handling the noise and just our operation – certainly penalties, you know, avoiding that. But yeah, he challenged us again. You’ve got great communication. We just have to be a sharp operation, because we have the players that, if we can execute correctly, you know, the athletes on the field are going to be able to make plays for us and, and so, you know, we’ll stroll with the outcome tonight and then we got a lot to clean up in the process.”
On what’s special about this particular win: “Coming from behind, finding a way on the road in a tough environment against a good football team, that builds resolve, builds some grit, builds some character that we’re going to have to lean on as the year goes on. And this is how NFL football is, you know, and so we’ve got to kind of get used to this and get comfortable in this, because that’s how these games tend to go and so the more we can be battle-tested and have these moments, I think it would set us up well for what’s coming down the road.”
On some of the team’s third-down struggles: “It’s not good enough. We have to be better. I don’t have a great answer for you as to why. I have to go back and look at it. Some of it was third down in the low red zone, which I would say probably more is a red zone issue than a third down issue. I think each individual play is its own entity as to what’s going on or what’s happening, but you had the ozone situation where the ball has got to go out of bounds, or to the end zone, where you cannot take a sack. So, it kind of sped up my read when I missed Kyle (Pitts) open for a touchdown. I just didn’t feel like I could go through my traditional read, because I could not take a sack. We would miss out on a field goal, so I kind of had to rush it and throw the ball away. But we’re not going to win a lot of games if we’re not better on third down, better in the red zone and more efficient as an offense.”
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