QB Kirk Cousins ​​says the Falcons have ‘a lot to fix’ after win

ATLANTA — For the second time in three weeks, quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​and the Atlanta Falcons found a way to win on their final drive despite posting an inconsistent offensive performance throughout.

The Falcons defeated the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints 26-24 on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on a career-long 58-yard field goal by kicker Younghoe Koo with two seconds left.

Atlanta scored on defense with a pick-six from Derek Carr through linebacker Troy Andersen. The Falcons also scored on special teams, thanks to a punt deflected by Saints returner Rashid Shaheed and an end zone recovery by KhaDarel Hodge. But the Falcons couldn’t score a single touchdown on offense.

It was the first time since September 26, 2004 that Atlanta won a game without scoring an offensive touchdown.

“There’s a lot to fix,” Cousins ​​said in his postgame press conference. “And then you say, ‘I’m so glad we won,’ but I’m going to record some thoughts on the way home to the coaches and say how I need to get better and how we can do it. “We have to build on that .

Cousins ​​was 21 of 35 for 238 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. His pass on the final drive to wide receiver Darnell Mooney resulted in a defensive pass interference call that helped set up Koo’s game-winning field goal. Cousins ​​threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Drake London with 34 seconds left to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2.

“Honestly, I felt like the last drive really wasn’t good enough for me and our offense,” Cousins ​​said. “But Koo made an incredible kick.”

Cousins ​​has 29 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime since becoming a full-time starter in 2015, which ranks second in the league in that span (Carr, 33).

“It’s great to find a way to win in this league,” Cousins ​​said.

But the Saints had beaten the Falcons in first downs (25-14), total yards (366-315) and time of possession (35:42-24:18). The Falcons also collected nine penalties for 76 yards, three of which derailed promising drives.

Each of the Falcons’ four games this season has been a one-score contest, and no team in the league has had more of those than Atlanta (27) since 2002. Cousins ​​himself started 46 one-score games over the past five seasons, five more than any other quarterback in the NFL during that time.

Running back Bijan Robinson struggled to get going on Sunday, rushing for 28 yards on just seven carries. Tyler Allgeier was the Falcons’ hot hand in the second half, finishing the game with eight carries for 60 yards on the ground. The offense also played well despite the absence of center Drew Dalman (ankle) and right tackle Kaleb McGary (knee). They were replaced by Ryan Neuzil and Storm Norton, respectively.

“There are so many things you can correct, and it’s always nice to correct those things in a win,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said.