South Atlanta News

Kirk Cousins acknowledged a poor pass to Drake London early in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night. Afterward, he praised London for making a difficult catch despite the error. London's response was optimistic: "Kirk, we're just building this, that's going to happen. ... We're just getting started."

This perspective has guided the Falcons after an offensive struggle against the Pittsburgh Steelers and a last-second win over the Eagles.

"We're getting better," Cousins said. "Week 2 to 3, we'll get better and we'll just keep building it, and I think that's the right perspective to have."

The Falcons' offense showed improvement from Week 1 to Week 2 in several statistical areas, including overall yardage (226 to 385), passing yards (137 to 233), and rushing yards (89 to 152). First downs increased from 15 to 22, and they did not commit any turnovers after losing the football three times in their home opener.

Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson noted that the operation felt more cohesive and comfortable compared to their first outing. Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier combined for 150 rushing yards on Monday, with Robinson contributing 97 yards, including a significant gain of 72 yards in the first half.

Robinson explained that playing live football together for the first time felt chaotic but emphasized that familiarity and camaraderie would improve over time.

"I think that it's something that is inherent to the more you're together, you're going to improve, you're going to get better and I felt like that happened," Cousins said. "We learned a lot about ourselves in Week 1 and we were able to take that and apply it to Week 2. But we'll be doing the same from Week 2 to Week 3, and Week 3 to Week 4. I think as this year goes, we're going to just keep building a rapport."

On Sunday Night Football, Atlanta will face the Kansas City Chiefs, a team known for its chemistry through four Super Bowl runs with two recent wins. The Falcons have one prime-time win so far.

"They know that the level of play in Week 1 wasn't up to standard, and it started with me, and it was all of us collectively," Robinson said. "But the confidence that you get from a game like (Monday's game) doesn't go understated."

The word "standard" has been prominent among the offense this week as they seek improvement even after Monday's win.

Robinson sent Cousins a congratulatory message on their flight back from Philadelphia. Cousins' response focused on areas needing improvement: "'Yeah I've got do a lot better. I've got be more accurate.'"

Bijan Robinson also commented on setting high expectations: "When we're all on the right track...that's just because I have high expectations for the offense...What we did on Monday was awesome but I think we have so much more..."

###