By Daniel Popper, Josh Kendall and Chris Licata
Four Kirk Cousins interceptions helped the Los Angeles Chargers improve to 8-4 on Sunday after securing a 17-13 road win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Cousins’ third interception turned into a 61-yard pick-six by the Chargers’ Tarheeb Still late in the third quarter. It was the second four-interception game of Cousins’ 13-year NFL career.
L.A. and Atlanta entered Sunday’s game with a combined 2-8 mark against teams with a winning record, and it showed throughout the first half. The Chargers trudged their way to a 9-7 lead at the break thanks to three field goals by kicker Cameron Dicker, and ultimately turned Cousins’ misfires into 10 points.
Atlanta has dropped three straight games to fall to 6-6 after entering the day in sole possession of first place in the NFC South. Raheem Morris’ club will now play consecutive road games in Minnesota and Las Vegas, while the Chargers gear up for a “Sunday Night Football” clash against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14. A win there would pull them within two games of the defending champions in the standings with four games to play in the regular season.
Derwin James, Still step up on defense
The Chargers won this game on defense. They picked off Cousins four times, and those turnovers were crucial. The Falcons put up 350 yards of offense, but the Chargers were just the better team in key situations. They held Atlanta to 5-for-18 on third- and fourth-down conversions and 1-for-4 in the red zone.
Still, Los Angeles’ rookie cornerback, had two of the four interceptions. The fifth-round pick has been one of the steals of the draft. Still took his second interception back for a 61-yard touchdown that proved to be the difference in the game. Safety Derwin James Jr. also had one of his best games of the season. He had two tackles for loss in run defense, and he sealed the game with a his first interception this season late in the fourth quarter. — Daniel Popper, Chargers beat writer
TARHEEB STILL @CHARGERS PICK-6.
📺: #LACvsATL on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/T3CodECkpD— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024
More QB questions after Cousins’ bad day
Cousins played poorly enough Sunday that Atlanta coach Raheem Morris will be asked this week if he’s considering giving rookie Michael Penix Jr. a chance to start for the Falcons. The answer to that question almost certainly is, “No,” but Sunday’s game was very rough.
Cousins’ four interceptions tied a career-high and the pick-six wasn’t even the worst one. That came on third down in the fourth quarter when Cousins lofted the ball into a pack of Chargers in the end zone, costing Atlanta a field-goal chance that could have cut its deficit to 17-16.
Cousins, who finished 24-of-39 for 245 yards, has thrown six interceptions and no touchdown passes in the Falcons’ last three games. Penix, the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft, has played twice in garbage time this season.
Atlanta’s decision to put so much on Cousins’ plate was questionable considering Bijan Robinson’s start. The second-year running back had 42 rushing yards and 18 receiving yards in the first quarter, which the Falcons ended with a 7-3 lead. Robinson finished with 26 carries for 102 yards and six catches for 33 yards. — Josh Kendall, Falcons beat writer
The Chargers needed every ounce of this defensive performance because the offense had a dud of a game. Ladd McConkey, the team’s leading receiver this season, was the only viable piece on that side of the ball. He had 117 receiving yards on a day when the offense only put up 187 total yards. McConkey had 105 of those yards in the first half.
The Falcons adjusted in the second half and mitigated McConkey. Quarterback Justin Herbert had nowhere else to turn. The Falcons had five sacks, several of those due to coverage because receivers were not getting open. The defense saved the offense in Atlanta. — Popper
Falcons finally get some sacks
The offense’s shortcomings wasted the defense’s best game of the year. Atlanta finished with five sacks, which not only was a season-high but was half of the total it managed in the first 11 games of the year combined. It was also the Falcons’ second-highest sack total since 2020. Arnold Ebiketie contributed the first two-sack game of his career as the Chargers gained only 187 yards, including 58 on the ground. — Kendall
Something to keep an eye on: Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts played his second-fewest number of snaps this season (30) and when he did play, he wasn’t a factor. Pitts finished with no catches and just two targets and on both of his targets, one in the end zone and one in the red zone, he appeared to stop his route short. — Kendall
Required reading
(Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
