Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a seven-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins – especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.

The 36-year-old veteran, in his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last October 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.

Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.

Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.

The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ one-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.

And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.

Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.

Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.

Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.

Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the two-point conversion pass.

Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the five-yard setback and scrambled for nine yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.

With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a seven-yard TD that made it 7-3.

Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter.

Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s nine-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass. Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.

Cousins connected with Darnell Mooney on a 41-yard TD pass that gave Atlanta a 15-10 lead, and then later hit Mooney on consecutive plays for victory.

Stats leaders:

Atlanta Falcons

• Passing: Kirk Cousins, 20/29, 241 yards, 2 TD
• Rushing: Bijan Robinson, 14 carries, 97 yards
• Receiving: Darnell Mooney, 3 catches, 88 yards, 1 TD

Philadelphia Eagles

• Passing: Jalen Hurts, 23/30, 183 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• Rushing: Saquon Barkley, 22 carries, 95 yards
• Receiving: DeVonta Smith, 7 catches, 76 yards, 1TD

Scoring summary

What did they say?

“He went out and played important in the biggest moments in the biggest times,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said.

“Those are things you want to have happen when you have a chance to go out there and get wins. It was great to see today with Kirk Cousins.

“We saved just enough time for those guys to go down and march down and get that game-winning touchdown.”

Cousins said: “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.”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said: “They made a couple more plays than we did down the stretch. We made some plays; they made more.

“And that’s on all of us. That starts with coaching and goes to the players. We are all responsible for the loss.”

What’s next?

The Falcons are next in action at home to the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday Night Football, live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.20am in the early hours of Monday. The Eagles meanwhile hit the road to face the red-hot New Orleans Saints following their thumping victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Week Three begins on Thursday night when the New York Jets host the New England Patriots live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.15am in the early hours of Friday; Also stream with NOW.

Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app – giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Stream The new EFL season, Test cricket and more top sport with NOW.