Kirk Cousins certainly earned his $180 million on Thursday night.
The quarterback threw for a career-high 509 yards and four touchdowns, with the final one being a 45-yard pass to KhaDarel Hodge in overtime, giving the Atlanta Falcons an unexpected 36-30 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“What a night,” Cousins said. “I’m exhausted.”
After a chaotic fourth quarter that included a blocked field goal, a fumble, and an interception, Cousins and the Falcons (3-2) got the ball back at their own 20 with 1:14 left in regulation and no timeouts, trailing 30-27.
Cousins completed five passes to move Atlanta to the Buccaneers’ 29-yard line, then rushed to the line to spike the ball with just one second remaining. Amid the confusion, the Falcons were flagged for a delay of game as they set up for a tying field goal, but it didn’t hurt them.
Despite the five-yard penalty, Younghoe Koo made a 52-yard field goal to tie the game, just a week after kicking a 58-yarder with 2 seconds left to defeat the New Orleans Saints.
“I’m proud of the grit,” Cousins said. “In this league, that’s what it takes. We were gritty tonight.”
The Falcons won the coin toss in overtime and ensured that Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers (3-2) didn’t get the ball again.
Cousins connected with Drake London on several passes before throwing a short pass to Hodge, who broke a tackle at the 40-yard line, slipped through a gap in the defense, and ran untouched to the end zone to win the game.
The four touchdown passes tied Cousins’ career best, while his passing yards surpassed his previous high of 460 yards with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022.
“The guys played hard,” coach Raheem Morris said. “They played to the end.”
After signing a big free agent contract with the Falcons that included $100 million guaranteed, Cousins had a slow start in Atlanta.
However, he received loud cheers on a night when the Falcons honored longtime starting quarterback Matt Ryan by putting him in their Ring of Honor. The 36-year-old Cousins even danced to the rap song “Swag Surfin” during the postgame celebration, showing he was fitting in well in Atlanta.
With Matty Ice cheering for him, Cousins broke Ryan’s team record for passing yards in a game (503) with one of the best performances in NFL history. Only 14 quarterbacks have thrown for more yards in a game, with Norm Van Brocklin’s record of 554 yards from 1951 still standing.
“Outstanding,” Morris said, giving a brief but accurate description of Cousins’ performance.
Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes, including two to Mike Evans, and Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals. The last one was a 53-yarder that put the Buccaneers ahead 30-27 with 10:23 left in the game.
Mayfield felt he let this game slip away. “All I care about is wins,” he said. “I’ve got to find a way to finish that game out on offense.” The Falcons tied the game with a bold fourth-down decision by Morris early in the fourth quarter.
After Tyler Allgeier lost 2 yards on third-and-2, the Falcons didn’t even think about attempting a field goal from the Buccaneers’ 12-yard line.
Atlanta quickly lined up again, and Cousins threw a pass to Darnell Mooney, who caught the ball at the marker but didn’t just settle for a first down. He shook off a tackler and dashed into the end zone.
Mooney also caught a 24-yard touchdown during a back-and-forth first half that ended with the Buccaneers leading 24-17.
Both teams moved the ball effectively, combining for 488 yards, 28 first downs, and only one punt in the first two quarters.
Cousins threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to London, who ended up with 12 catches for 154 yards. Mooney had nine catches for 105 yards.
“I spread it around and the players made plays,” Cousins said. “I’m grateful for the progress we’ve made. We’re getting better and better each week.”
Koo missed his first field goal of the year from 41 yards and had another attempt blocked, but he also made kicks from 54 and 48 yards before hitting the tying kick.
