Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-36 Atlanta Falcons: Kirk Cousins throws for career-high 509 yards to edge out Bucs in overtime thriller

Kirk Cousins threw for a career-high 509 yards and four touchdowns, the last of them a 45-yard scoring pass to KhaDarel Hodge in overtime that gave the Atlanta Falcons an improbable 36-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.

After a wild fourth quarter that featured 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 remaining in regulation and no timeouts, trailing 30-27.

Cousins completed five passes to push Atlanta to the Buccaneers 29, then hustled to the line to spike the ball with a single second left.

In all the confusion, the Falcons were called for delay of game as they lined up for a tying field goal, but it didn’t cost them.

Younghoe Koo knocked it through from 52 yards to force overtime, one week after he made a 58-yarder with two seconds left to beat the New Orleans Saints.

The Falcons won the coin toss in overtime and made sure Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers (3-2) didn’t get their hands on the ball again.

Cousins connected with Drake London on a couple of passes before throwing a short one to Hodge, who broke a tackle at the 40, sliced through a gap in the secondary and raced untouched to the end zone to end the game.

Stats leaders:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Passing: Baker Mayfield, 19/24, 180 yards, 3 TD
• Rushing: Rachaad White, 10 carries, 72 yards
• Receiving: Mike Evans, 5 catches, 62 yards, 2 TD. Chris Godwin, 5 catches, 64 yards

Atlanta Falcons

• Passing: Kirk Cousins, 42/58, 509 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
• Rushing: Bijan Robinson, 12 carries, 61 yards
• Receiving: Drake London, 12 catches, 154 yards, 1 TD. Darnell Mooney, 9 catches, 105 yards, 2 TD

The four TD passes tied Cousins’ career best, while his yardage through the air easily eclipsed his previous high of 460 with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022.

After signing his big free agent deal with the Falcons, which included $100m in guaranteed money, the 36-year-old Cousins got off to sluggish start in Atlanta.

But on Thursday he broke Matt Ryan’s Falcons record for passing yards in a game (503) with one of the most prolific performances in NFL history. Only 14 quarterbacks have thrown for more yards in a game, led by Norm Van Brocklin’s mark of 554 yards that has stood since 1951.

Mayfield threw three touchdown passes, including a pair to Mike Evans, and Chase McLaughlin booted three field goals. The last of them was a 53-yarder that put the Buccaneers ahead 30-27 with 10:23 remaining.

The Falcons tied it with a gutsy fourth-down call by coach Raheem Morris early in the fourth quarter.

After Tyler Allgeier was thrown for a 2-yard loss on third-and-2, the Falcons didn’t even consider a field goal from the Bucs 12.

Atlanta lined right back up and Cousins threw a pass to Darnell Mooney, who made the grab right at the marker but wasn’t content with just a first down. He shook off a tackler and scooted to the end zone.

Mooney also had a 24-yard touchdown catch during a wild first half that ended with the Buccaneers up 24-17.

Both offenses ran up and down the field over the first two quarters, combining for 488 yards, 28 first downs and just one punt,

Cousins had an 18-yard touchdown pass to London, who finished with 12 catches for 154 yards. Mooney had nine receptions for 105.

Koo missed his first field goal of the year from 41 yards but connected from 54 and 48 yards before splitting the uprights with the tying kick.

Scoring summary

What did they say?

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins: “What a night, I’m exhausted. I’m proud of the grit. In this league, that’s what it takes. We were gritty tonight.

“I spread it around and the players made plays. I’m grateful for the progress we’ve made. We’re getting better and better each week.”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield: “All I care about is wins. I’ve got to find a way to finish that game out on offense.”

What’s next?

The Buccaneers travel to New Orleans for an NFC South matchup against the New Orleans Saints on October 13, while the Falcons go on the road for the first since Week 2 when they travel to face divisional rivals the Carolina Panthers on the same day.

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