ATLANTA — In a game neither team seemed eager to win, the Los Angeles Chargers relied on their defense — especially rookie cornerback Tarheeb Still — to hand Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons their third straight loss.
Still returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown, his second pick of the game and one of four thrown by Cousins as the Chargers overcame numerous issues to knock off the Falcons 17-13 on Sunday.
The Chargers (8-4) surrendered five sacks to a team that had an NFL-low 10 coming into the game, not to mention fumbled the ball away in their own territory to set up Atlanta’s only TD. There also was a fake punt that didn’t work and a largely listless offense that managed just two first downs in the second half.
Los Angeles coach Jim Harbaugh had no complaints.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” he said. “We’re witnessing complementary, winning football.”
Still, a fifth-round pick out of Maryland, made the 36-year-old Cousins looked like a rookie when the Falcons (6-6) faced a fourth-and-5 at the Los Angeles 40 late in the third quarter.
Still read the play all the way, stepping in front of Darnell Mooney and sprinting untouched down the sideline in front of the Falcons’ bench for the touchdown that put the Chargers ahead to stay.
Still now has three interceptions in his first season as a pro.
“The thing that impresses me the most is how locked in he is for a young player,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, they can get a little drift in their preparation as the season goes on. But he has been locked in.”
Still also had an interception on the first play of the second quarter, a sign of what was to come for Cousins in an awful performance that is sure to raise questions about whether the Falcons should turn to their first-round pick, Michael Penix Jr.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris insisted that a quarterback change is not in the works.
“We’ve got no issues with that man,” he said of Cousins. “I don’t think that’s gonna be the issue around here. That guy’s carried us. That guy’s got us to the point. We’re 6-6 and first place in the division. We’ve still got everything in front of us.”
Atlanta’s last two possessions both ended with Cousins’ interceptions when a touchdown could have pulled the game out — only the second four-pick game of his long career. The other came when he played for Washington in a 45-14 loss to the New York Giants on Sept. 25, 2014.
There was an ill-advised pass to no one in particular in the back of the end zone that was grabbed by Marcus Maye, who had just joined the Chargers a few days earlier after being claimed on waivers. Cousins put both hands to his helmet in disbelief.
With the Falcons driving into Chargers territory for one last shot, Cousins delivered a throw over the middle that was picked off by Derwin James Jr. at the Los Angeles 24 with 40 seconds remaining.
“I’ve got to play better,” Cousins said. “I’m so disappointed right now. It hurts. I feel like that was a game we had a chance to win if I played at the standard I expect to.”
The Falcons nearly doubled up the Chargers in total yards, 350-187. Justin Herbert threw for just 147 yards, and the Chargers were limited to 56 yards on the ground without top back J.K. Dobbins.
The only points produced by the Los Angeles offense were three field goals by Cameron Dicker.
“Obviously not the way that we want to play,” Herbert said. “We won because of the defense today. We’ve got to do a better job as an offense.”
Cousins finished 24 of 39 for 245 yards. Younghoe Koo kicked a pair of field goals, but also missed a 35-yarder after battling hip issues during the week.
Harbaugh could’ve been facing a lot of questions for calling a fake punt that failed to produce a first down.
But his defense bailed him out.
With the Chargers facing fourth-and-4 at their own 36 early in the fourth quarter, punter JK Scott took the snap but rolled to his right and threw a pass to tight end Stone Smartt.
The Falcons weren’t fooled. Kevin King delivered a hit that knocked Smartt out of bounds a yard shy of the first-down marker.
“I thought it was a good time to catch them by surprise,” Harbaugh said. “They did a good job defending it. We didn’t exactly run it the way we practiced it and it just came up short. That’s on me. Those decisions, they’re good when they’re right.”
Maye snuffed out Atlanta’s drive with his pick in the end zone, so the fake punt didn’t hurt the Chargers.
Chargers: Dobbins (knee sprain) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, forcing the Chargers to go with a backfield-by-committee approach that wasn’t very effective. … WR Ladd McConkey went out late in the game with a knee injury after making nine catches for 117 yards.
Falcons: K Riley Patterson was signed by the Falcons as a precaution in case Koo couldn’t go, but the newcomer wasn’t needed.
Chargers: Stay on the road to face the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) next Sunday night.
Falcons: At Minnesota (10-2) next Sunday.
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This story has been corrected. A previous version misspelled Tarheeb Still’s first name.
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