Kirk Cousins shows up in primetime, again

In his last game before tearing an Achilles tendon at Lambeau Field, Kirk Cousins had arguably the best game of his life, beating the 49ers on a Monday night.

In his second game back, he was back on Monday night. With a new team. Against a familiar nemesis. And Cousins pulled it off.

Handed (stupidly by the Eagles) a chance to win the game in the final minute, Cousins took the Falcons straight down the field for the game-winning score. It was decisive. It was overwhelming. And it almost happened too fast.

Cousins was five for six for 70 yards on the final drive, capping it with a seven-yard touchdown pass to receiver Drake London. The outcome was as stunning as the improvement in Cousins’s play from Week 1.

When he was asked by ESPN’s Lisa Salters about the difference from last Sunday until tonight, Cousins could (should) have said, “T.J. Watt doesn’t play for the Eagles.”

But it was more than that. He looked more comfortable and confident tonight. And, no, it wouldn’t have mattered if the Eagles hadn’t blown their chance to ice the game. Still, Cousins got an opportunity in a hostile environment under circumstances where he has failed in the past. And he took full advantage of it.

He’ll have another opportunity at home on Sunday night against another foe who will be very tough to beat — the Chiefs. If Cousins can pull that one off, maybe Michael Penix Jr. really will spend two or three years watching.