Kirk Cousins got his swagger back

If you're someone who goes online as regularly as I do, you know that someone threw an absolute piss missile into the backyard at my son's You're probably familiar with the TikTok trend “I think I'm doing this.” insert QB here)”.

Well, the best way to describe Kirk Cousins' night last night was to immediately make a TikTok about this particular performance. Cousins ​​was on fire from the moment he took the field, going 42-of-58 for 509 yards and four TDs as the Falcons upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime. On a night when Falcons legend Matt Ryan was honored at halftime, Cousins ​​broke Ryan's single-game passing record set in 2016. Cousins' night was also very impressive in almost every detailed statistic. His 22.4 total EPA was the highest total EPA ever accumulated by a QB against a Tampa Bay defense coached by Todd Bowles.

It was an incredible piece of quarterbacking, but also a testament to what Cousins ​​has accomplished and continues to improve at age 36.

In many ways, this game reminded me of when Matthew Stafford faced a Bowles-led defense as a member of the Los Angeles Rams. Both are aging pocket passers who ultimately didn't really need any play-action related movement or too many RPOs against this defense. Of Cousins' 58 dropbacks, only five were on play action. In the 2021 games Stafford played in, only four of his dropbacks were in play action. Atlanta's current offensive coordinator, Zach Robinson, was an assistant QB coach during Stafford's time of great success, and it's almost as if a player of Stafford's caliber had been there. called the match.

It was clear early on that the Bucks would try to heat up and attack Cousins ​​using both simulated and creeper pressures. Simulated pressure is when the defense shows blitz and then potentially drops a guy off the line of scrimmage, and the creeper looks like a normal play and then brings the heat. But Tampa entered this game with some pain. All-world safety Antione Winfield Jr. did not play in the game, along with pass rusher Kaliyah Kancey and coverage linebacker Sarvosia Dennis. All of this shows in the spine of the defense that Cousins ​​and Atlanta chased the entire game.

This was Atlanta's first offensive play of the game. Tampa brings simulated pressure with five guys on the line of scrimmage, but they also drop LB Lavonte David and bring in two slot defenders. Cousins ​​is unfazed by this. Because his answer is already built in. The blitz is picked up and Cousins ​​hits TE Kyle Pitts running from the seam against David.

Now, the seams and backbone of the defense was huge in this game. That's because Atlanta attacked second-level defenders with a variety of motion and high-low concepts. This puts the defender underneath it (LB, nickel, or drop edge) in a bind. This is because you have to make an instant decision to take a deep route or abandon YAC for a short route. This was a Stafford Rams staple and something Robinson brought to Atlanta. He also brought WR Drake Rondon into the frame, where he could play matchup ball and isolate him against lesser defenders. Rondon had a masterpiece from the slot Thursday, making eight of 12 catches for 117 yards and one touchdown from the slot. Rondon lines up as an inside receiver on the right side, and Tampa again applies creeper pressure, with edge Yaya Diaby falling into the hook lane. But there's not much that can fool Kirk Cousins' coverage. He sees off Diaby and hits London with a dig that sets the chain in motion. These excavation routes are important, so place pins there.

London's touchdown was a perfect example of using movement to create favorable situations and matchups for Atlanta's star players. WR Darnell Mooney's short motion at the snap isolated London from rookie nickel defender Tykie Smith, and London would win most of the game. Atlanta chose London to take all the routes Cooper Kupp ran in Los Angeles and cooked with London on Thursday. Look at the space given to London, especially the running back releasing to the right.

This play comes from the same formations and the same movements, but with a different design. Tampa blitzed David and dropped DE Anthony Nelson, but Nelson has no hope of winning against London with this dig, making this pitch difficult. Again, Mooney's brief motion gives London more room to work with, and Cousins ​​goes on strike.

This play came late in the game, but it shows how much confidence Cousins ​​has in these pure dropback situations and how much his game has grown. Watch Cousins ​​work on backup LB KJ Britt here. Atlanta is in a 3×1 formation with London in the frame, and TE Kyle Pitts creates space on his out routes, forcing London to dig in again. WR Ray-Ray McCloud's return motion confirms zone coverage, and Cousins ​​sees a pump fake that no one sees, forcing Britt to lean in before going into London's in-breaker. Kirk's game has actually gotten stronger as he's gotten older, and he showed off what he and this offense are capable of with his dropback game Thursday.

Eventually, Tampa tired of being hit by Atlanta's drilling route. In an effort to isolate the injured linebacker group, Tampa has made adjustments to either provide better coverage for players in middle running roles in the Tampa 2 or to have strong triggers on the safeties against the in-breakers that Atlanta throws. Kirk's second TD of the game was a great throw that beat Tampa in the former. Zion McCollum is in the slot for this game, but will be converted to a middle runner for Tampa 2. Atlanta is running the dagger, but requires their inside receivers to run go routes for the love of the game and the digs that come behind them. . The go route is supposed to clear the lane, but is thrown in rare cases. Unless you're Kirk Cousins. When McCollum turned around, Kirk scored a touchdown on Mooney, who made an incredible grab. Notice the anticipation when Kirk releases this ball. Top-level QBing at its finest.

Right now, Tampa has safety Jordan Whitehead hitting hard on every drill route. He almost ends the first half with a dig, look at his footfall! He barely falls into his own quarter of the field.

At the start of the second half, Atlanta successfully bucked that trend and threw Whitehead where he was supposed to be. London is in the slot again and punishes the flat-footed Whitehead. London passes him and Cousins ​​puts it on his back shoulder. You'll notice a trend here: Motion opens up London for more slot usage. Deliberate motion to gain space and leverage is the cornerstone of the Rams' offense, and Robinson brought that to Atlanta.

This is the culmination of the Falcons' dropback game, led by a confident and enthusiastic Kirk Cousins. Cousins' instability as a passer makes him a dangerous game, but at his age he can operate this style of passing game. Cousins ​​is exactly what Falcons fans have been hoping for this season: a grown-up QB, as he maneuvers underneath defenders without using play-action, but gets up under pressure and throws strikes. There's only hope that this offense will get even better with Robinson giving him Stafford-dieting passes, and that's something to look forward to for Atlanta's hopes this season. There are still question marks on defense, but if the offense can get Cousins ​​to London in the frame and some bangers from Kirk, they'll go far.