Falcons beat the Bucs OT thriller; Cousins breaks franchise record
Darnell Mooney #1 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrates after scoring a 12 yard touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 03, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - 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, giving the Atlanta Falcons an improbable 36-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Falcons (3-2) tied the game at the end of regulation after a wild fourth quarter that featured a blocked field goal, a fumble, and an interception. Trailing 30-27, Atlanta got the ball back at their own 20-yard line with just 1:14 remaining and no timeouts. Cousins completed five passes to push the Falcons to the Buccaneers' 29-yard line. With only one second left, he spiked the ball to stop the clock.
In a moment of confusion, Atlanta was called for delay of game as they lined up for a field goal, but it didn't matter. Younghoe Koo drilled a 52-yard kick, tying the game and forcing overtime. Just one week earlier, Koo hit a 58-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to defeat the New Orleans Saints.
The Falcons won the coin toss in overtime, ensuring that Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers (3-2) wouldn’t get another chance. Cousins quickly went to work, connecting with Drake London on a couple of key passes. He then found Hodge over the middle, who split the Tampa Bay secondary and raced untouched to the end zone, securing the victory for Atlanta.
Cousins’ performance broke the Falcons' single-game passing record previously held by Matt Ryan, who was inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor during the game. Cousins completed 42 of 59 passes, delivering a historic performance and cementing his place in Falcons history.
The back-and-forth contest featured multiple lead changes, with both teams exchanging scores. Mike Evans caught two touchdown passes from Mayfield for Tampa Bay, while Cousins found Drake London and Darnell Mooney multiple times for big gains. London finished with 12 catches for 154 yards.
In the fourth quarter, Cousins threw his third touchdown pass of the night to Mooney for 12 yards. Koo later hit the tying field goal as time expired, forcing the extra period.
Mayfield completed 19 of 24 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns for Tampa Bay, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Atlanta’s offensive firepower.
The two teams will meet again on Oct. 27 in Tampa Bay.