Cousins Leads Last-Minute Touchdown Drive as Falcons Edge Eagles 22-21
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins showed why Atlantainvested $180 million in him, leading a flawless last-minute drive thatculminated in a 7-yard touchdown pass to Drake London, securing a thrilling22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
After a shaky opener, Cousins dispelled concerns with his clutch performance. Down 21-15 with just over a minute left, Cousins orchestrated a rapid drive, going 5-for-6 for 70 yards. He connected with London for the game-tying touchdown with 34 seconds remaining. A 48-yard extra point from Younghoe Koo, following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on London, gave the Falcons the lead.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris praised Cousins, saying, "He delivered in the biggest moments when we needed him most. That's why he's here."
Cousins, in just his second game after returning from an Achilles tendon injury, proved resilient. On the decisive drive, he found Darnell Mooney for gains of 21 and 26 yards, setting up the touchdown to London, who beat Eagles cornerback Darius Slay.
The Eagles had a chance to ice the game earlier when Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that would have sealed a first down. Instead, Philadelphia settled for a field goal, leaving time for Cousins to mount his game-winning drive.
Jalen Hurts, who finished 23-of-30 for 183 yards and a touchdown, had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III, sealing Atlanta’s victory and igniting celebrations on the Falcons' sideline.
Hurts' 1-yard touchdown run had put the Eagles ahead 21-15 with 6:47 remaining, but the Falcons capitalized on Barkley's drop and the Eagles' soft defensive coverage. Barkley had 95 rushing yards in his Philadelphia debut.
Cousins completed the game with 241 yards and two touchdowns, including a 41-yard strike to Mooney earlier in the game. Mooney, who finished with 88 yards on three catches, delivered big plays when Atlanta needed them most.
"These tight games can define a season," Cousins said. "When you find a way to win, it can change everything."
The Eagles struggled to capitalize in key moments, with Jake Elliott's two field goals not enough to secure the win. Hurts found DeVonta Smith for a 7-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but without top receiver A.J. Brown, Philadelphia's offense lacked explosive plays.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni admitted the loss was a collective failure. "They made more plays than we did down the stretch," Sirianni said. "That’s on all of us—coaches and players."
Atlanta improves to 1-1, while Philadelphia falls to 1-1 on the season. Read more....
Benintendi's Walk-Off Homer Ends White Sox's 16-Game Home Losing Streak
September 15 — Andrew Benintendi hit a dramatic walk-off home run, helping the Chicago White Sox snap their franchise-record 16-game home losing streak with a 7-6 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday.
Gavin Sheets also homered for Chicago, which secured its first home win since August 12. The White Sox earned their second walk-off victory of the season after Oakland tied the game with three runs in the top of the ninth inning.
Gus Varland (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning to earn the win. Nicky Lopez, Luis Robert Jr., Lenyn Sosa, and Benintendi each had three hits in the game.
Oakland rallied in the ninth, loading the bases with no outs against reliever Justin Anderson. Two runs scored when Shea Langeliers reached on a fielding error by Sosa, and Zack Gelof later tied the game with an RBI single. However, Benintendi’s game-winning homer in the bottom of the ninth sealed the White Sox’s long-awaited home victory.
Red Sox 7, Yankees 1
Rafael Devers hit a two-run single and drew an intentional walk as Boston
cruised past New York. Devers' free pass from Yankees starter Gerrit Cole (6-5)
in the fourth inning was the earliest intentional walk with the bases empty in
Yankees history, according to YES Network via Stathead.com. Masataka Yoshida
and Wilyer Abreu followed with RBI hits to give Boston a 3-1 lead. Cole, the
reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Orioles 4, Tigers 2
Corbin Burnes pitched seven shutout innings, and Gunnar Henderson launched his
37th home run to lead Baltimore past Detroit. Burnes (14-8) allowed just two
hits and struck out seven. Henderson had two hits, two RBIs, and scored twice.
Detroit's Parker Meadows hit a solo homer in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to
rally the Tigers.
Royals 5, Pirates 1
Bobby Witt Jr. homered and drove in three runs as Kansas City defeated
Pittsburgh. Michael Wacha (13-7) pitched five solid innings, allowing one run
while striking out eight. Kansas City has now won seven of its last nine games.
Blue Jays 7, Cardinals 2
Jose Berrios pitched seven strong innings for his 16th win as Toronto topped
St. Louis. Berrios (16-9) allowed just one run, helping the Blue Jays win their
third game in four. Davis Schneider went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs,
while Jordan Walker homered for the Cardinals.
Phillies 6, Mets 4
Cal Stevenson hit a go-ahead double in the seventh inning and robbed a home run
in the eighth to lead Philadelphia over New York. Bryce Harper homered twice
for the Phillies, while Starling Marte drove in three runs for the Mets.
Guardians 6, Rays 1
Josh Naylor's two-RBI single powered Cleveland to a victory over Tampa Bay.
Rookie Joey Cantillo tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits.
Nationals 4, Marlins 1
Jose Tena homered and Joey Gallo added a home run to help Washington defeat
Miami. The Nationals hit three home runs, marking their seventh game this
season with three or more homers.
Reds 11, Twins 1
TJ Friedl went 4-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs as Cincinnati dominated
Minnesota. The Reds scored nine runs in the fourth inning to secure the win.
Braves 10, Dodgers 1
Chris Sale pitched six strong innings, allowing just one run as Atlanta beat
Los Angeles. Sale (17-3) fanned six and lowered his ERA to 2.35, helping the
Braves take the second game of the series.
Rockies 6, Cubs 5 (10 innings)
Brenton Doyle hit a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning as Colorado
walked off Chicago. The Rockies forced extra innings with a two-run homer in
the ninth by Sam Hilliard.
Brewers 15, Diamondbacks 8
Willy Adames hit a grand slam and a solo homer as Milwaukee held off Arizona.
Adames drove in five runs, leading the Brewers to a high-scoring victory.
Padres 8, Giants 0
Donovan Solano hit three doubles as Joe Musgrove combined with two relievers on
a five-hitter, giving San Diego its second consecutive shutout win over San
Francisco.
Mariners 5, Rangers 4
Randy Arozarena’s walk-off single in the ninth inning helped Seattle rally past
Texas. Julio Rodriguez and Luke Raley homered as the Mariners secured their
second consecutive win.
Astros 5, Angels 3
Yordan Alvarez hit a go-ahead two-run homer as Houston beat Los Angeles in the
second game of their series. Justin Verlander earned his first win in over
three months for the division-leading Astros. See more.....
Rams' Puka Nacua Expected to Miss 5-7 Weeks Due to PCL Injury
September 13 — Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is expected to miss between 5-7 weeks due to a PCL injury, according to sources who spoke with ESPN. Nacua reinjured his knee during last Sunday night's overtime loss to the Detroit Lions and was placed on injured reserve (IR) last week.
Head coach Sean McVay indicated that Nacua might be sidelined for the minimum four weeks required by his IR designation. However, with the Rams’ bye in Week 6, the earliest Nacua could return would be in Week 7 for the Rams' home game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Despite this, team sources have suggested that Nacua's status for the Raiders game and the following Thursday night matchup against the Minnesota Vikings remains uncertain. The Rams are being cautious with the second-year receiver, hoping to prevent any further setbacks to the knee injury he initially sustained during training camp.
The Rams are taking a similar approach to last season when they started the year without star wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who missed the first four games with a hamstring injury. During Kupp’s absence, Nacua, a fifth-round pick out of BYU, emerged as a breakout star. He set records for the most receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) by a rookie in NFL history last season.
With Nacua out, the Rams will look to veteran wide receivers Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson to step up. Robinson had four catches for 42 yards against Detroit, while Johnson was second on the team behind Kupp with five receptions and 79 yards. See more.....
