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🏈 Good morning to all, however particularly to …

KIRK COUSINS AND THE ATLANTA FALCONS

With 106 seconds left, issues appeared dire for the Falcons.

With 27 seconds left, they had been in victory formation, with a surprising and probably season-saving win within the bag.

Kirk Cousins directed a six-play, 70-yard drive to guide the Falcons to a surprising 22-21 street win over the Eagles. How did the turnaround occur?

• With 1:46 left and main 18-15, the Eagles confronted third and three. The Falcons had no timeouts. A primary down meant recreation over. Jalen Hurts rolled out and threw to a wide-open Saquon Barkley … who dropped it. Philadelphia settled for a discipline purpose.
• Then got here Cousins, who accomplished 5 of six passes for all 70 yards on the game-winning drive. Two passes and 47 yards went to Darnell Mooney, who additionally scored a landing earlier within the night time. The sport-tying landing move went to Drake London, who burnt Darius Slay.
• Younghoe Koo deserves credit score, too, for the game-winning 48-yard additional level, lengthened after London’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
• Jessie Bates III intercepted Hurts to clinch the win.

Cousins, who admitted he is not 100% coming off an Achilles tear, was a lot, a lot better in comparison with his Week 1 stinker. He was beneath heart — the place he thrives — on 60% of his snaps, in comparison with 4% per week earlier. Over 1 / 4 of his throws got here off play motion — additionally the place he thrives — after none of them did in Week 1.

Oh yeah, and the “Cousins is not clutch” narrative took one other hit: His 9 game-winning drives since 2022 are tied for many of any quarterback.

Atlanta was staring down the barrel of an unsavory 0-2 begin and main questions after a giant offseason. Cousins stepped up when his group wanted him most, which is strictly why Atlanta received him.

👍 Honorable mentions

🤕 And never such a superb morning for …

THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

We’ll be fast right here: Barkley had the win in his fingers. Catch a ball he is caught hundreds of instances, flip upfield, fall down and win.

I do not blame Barkley an excessive amount of. He had 116 complete yards. I do not blame the play name. It was proper there. Was it a hair aggressive? Positive. Might the Eagles have performed it easier and tried to get the primary down on the bottom? Positive. However hindsight is 20/20. Even Barkley thought it was a superb name.

With A.J. Brown out, the Eagles leaned on Hurts’ legs, DeVonta Smith‘s catching and Barkley’s all-around expertise. Sadly for them, that third half got here up one play quick. Then the protection melted down.

Garrett Podell broke down the anatomy of the loss.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 NFL accidents piling up

There are accidents all around the NFL, however we now have to start out with the Rams, who’re coming off a 41-10 loss to the Cardinals and can be with out Cooper Kupp (ankle) for “prolonged time,” in line with Sean McVay. Right here different notable injured Rams:

• WR Puka Nacua (knee, IR)
• TE Tyler Higbee (knee, PUP)
• G Jonah Jackson (shoulder, IR candidate)
• G Steve Avila (knee)
• T Joe Noteboom (ankle, IR)
• CB Darious Williams (hamstring, IR)
• CB Derion Kendrick (knee, IR)
• S John Johnson III (shoulder)

One season after the Rams had been the least-injured group within the league, the pendulum has swung within the different path, and the prospect of Matthew Stafford surrounded by this group is a scary one.

The Rams face the 49ers in Week 3, and San Francisco is not precisely an image of well being, both. Already with out Christian McCaffrey, they will be with out Deebo Samuel (calf pressure) for a number of weeks. This matchup is changing into a struggle of attrition.

Elsewhere …

🏈 Bryce Younger benched: Panthers flip to Andy Dalton amid dismal begin

The Panthers are beginning over once more, simply months after they began over … once more. Carolina benched Bryce Younger for Andy Dalton at quarterback.

That is devastating. Flat-out.

A yr and a half in the past, Carolina despatched DJ Moore, two first-round picks (Darnell Wright and Caleb Williams) and two second-round picks (Tyrique Stevenson and one other subsequent yr) to maneuver as much as No. 1 and choose Younger, the Heisman-winning Alabama product. It seems like one of many worst trades ever, and Younger seems like one of many largest busts ever.

It is likely to be laborious to recollect, however Younger was as soon as the preternaturally calm, sensible, correct chief speculated to convey stability to a franchise that badly wanted it. As an alternative, he was thrown to the wolves as a rookie, surrounded by a discombobulated teaching employees and an terrible roster. That was the primary restart. Restart No. 2 got here this offseason, when Carolina employed Dave Canales and added to its offensive line and receiving corps.

Although points stay round him, Younger appeared terrible: inaccurate, turnover-prone and basically as dangerous as he was final yr, which should not have been doable. His bodily limitations (dimension, arm energy) make him look, frankly, overwhelmed. The Panthers are 0-2 and have been outscored by 60 factors.

So the Bryce Younger period seems over after 18 begins. Will Brinson sums up the swap to Dalton nicely: It makes some sense, nevertheless it would not actually matter. The Panthers are hopeless. They misplaced their greatest participant, Derrick Brown, for the season in Week 1. They’ve alarmingly little expertise on either side, partly a product of the Younger commerce. They’re an NFL-worst 31-70 since 2018, when David Tepper turned the proprietor.

The extra issues — quarterbacks, coaches, gamers — change, the extra they keep the identical.

🏈 Texas tops CBS Sports activities 134; Billy Napier period nearing finish at Florida?

Similar to within the newest AP High 25, Texas jumped Georgia for No. 1 within the CBS Sports activities 134, and the SEC now has 4 of the highest six in our rating of each single group:

1. Texas (earlier: 2)
2. Georgia (1)
3. Ohio State (3)
4. Alabama (4)
5. Tennessee (7)
6. Ole Miss (5)

Nevertheless, the opposite prime tremendous convention — the Large Ten — has the largest riser of the week, notes Chip Patterson.

• Patterson: “No. 37 Indiana (+26): Curt Cignetti‘s group wanted an influence convention win to solidify the outcomes that to date had pointed to a powerful begin to his first yr with Indiana. The Hoosiers have truly moved up 36 spots within the final two weeks, however a majority of that got here after a 42-13 win on the street at UCLA.”

Washington State, in the meantime, jumped 24 spots from 57th to thirty third after beating Washington within the Apple Cup. That cemented an impressive week for the Cougars, who additionally beat Texas Tech in Week 2 and spearheaded the Pac-12’s comeback of including Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State. Dennis Dodd has extra on what’s subsequent for the convention.

In fact, not all the pieces is sunshine and rainbows, particularly within the Sunshine State. Each Florida State and Florida make John Talty’s 5 most disappointing groups by three weeks, and Richard Johnson has extra on Billy Napier‘s Gators in “The Monday Learn.”

• Johnson: “It definitely is not Napier’s job to high quality management each little factor in-game like substitutions, however it’s on the individuals he employed and empowers, which factors to an absence of group … Excuses had been made in 2023 about being one of many youngest groups within the nation and time wanted to develop right into a championship program, however Florida continues into this season with procedural points nonetheless beneath the hood.”

This is extra:

⚽ New-look UEFA Champions League returns; knowledgeable picks for Matchday 1

The UEFA Champions League is again and (for my part) higher than ever due to a new format. We have now a full rationalization right here, however rapidly …

• 36-team “league” ranked by a single desk
• Eight video games performed — in opposition to two groups from 4 completely different pots
• High eight groups advance to the common UCL spherical of 16.
• Groups 9-24 go right into a two-legged playoff to achieve the spherical of 16.

OK, now that that is out of the best way, listed here are the video games for Matchday 1, and the undoubted Recreation of the Day in the present day is AC Milan vs. Liverpool (preview right here). Our specialists have made their picks for that recreation and each recreation of Matchday 1, and James Benge anticipates a giant recreation for Christian Pulisic.

Keep in mind, you may watch each recreation on Paramount+.

This is extra:

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

⚽ We’re watching the UEFA Champions League on Paramount+ and CBS. This is how.
🏀 Liberty at Mystics, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
⚾ Phillies at Brewers, 7:40 p.m. on TBS
⚾ Astros at Padres, 9:40 p.m. on truTV
🏀 Aces at Storm, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Mercury at Sparks, 10:30 p.m. on CBS Sports activities Community