Coming into Monday Night Football, there was a sense of urgency around Flowery Branch. Even though it was only Week 1, it felt like the Falcons needed a victory over the Eagles.
It may not have been tense like a win-or-go-home scenario, but it certainly felt as close to a must-win situation as it could get in Week 2, and it definitely felt out of reach when the Falcons failed to convert a fourth down late in the game.
The Eagles took over around the 50-yard line, only needing a few first downs to ice the game. Philly ran the ball at will until they were faced with a third and short, choosing to get cute and trying to end the game with a pass to Saquon Barkley.
The $37 million free agent signing dropped a wide-open first down, stopping the clock and giving the Falcons 40 extra seconds than they would have had if the Eagles just ran the ball. There was hope.
But let’s be real. The chances that Kirk Cousins, who to that point still had not looked comfortable despite throwing a 42-yard touchdown to Darnell Mooney, leading the offense 70 yards with 1:39 and no timeouts were slim to none.
To the shock of everyone, it was like a hot knife slicing through butter as Cousins led a near-perfect drive, completing 5-of-6 passes for all 70 yards, capped off by a touchdown to Drake London.
It was honestly a surreal moment because, usually, the shoe is on the other foot, and it’s the Falcons finding a way to lose a game they had a 98% chance to win. So, following the Falcons’ go-ahead touchdown on Monday Night Football, London celebrated, naturally of course. It ended up drawing an egregious penalty.
Drake London celebration too tuff bro pic.twitter.com/vC9A6SMixO
— Kai (@SznPltts) September 17, 2024
Thankfully, Younghoe Koo was able to connect on the lengthy extra point, but it should’ve never been called a penalty in the first place. To make light of the situation, Raheem Morris had a clever explanation as to what London was doing.
#Falcons HC Raheem Morris on Drake London’s gun celebration that was flagged:
“Drake is a great kid. His intent was not as a use of a weapon. He probably was shooting t-shirts into the stands, to be honest with you, because he’s just that kind of a guy.” pic.twitter.com/qFWFK9SfKn
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) September 17, 2024
It was a machine gun; it was cool. It’s fine because the Falcons won, but had they lost because of it, we could be having a much different conversation. Raheem Morris going to bat for his guy isn’t a surprise. He’s a players’ coach. I guarantee that he had a conversation with London after the game to make sure that he knows that he can’t do that.
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Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire
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