On Thursday Night Football in Week 5, the Buccaneers were on the road to face the Falcons. Each team was coming off a win in their last game. Tampa Bay beat the Eagles 33-16 in Week 4. Atlanta beat the Saints 26-24 in Week 4 on a walk-off field goal by Younghoe Koo. The Bucs were 3-1 and the Falcons were 2-2 heading into Week 5.
The Falcons started the game with a touchdown to Drake London on their first drive. However, the Bucs responded quickly and Atlanta was down 24-17 at halftime. Four quarters was not enough to decide this football game and it headed to OT. Wide receiver KhaDarelHodge took a pass 45 yards to the house in OT to seal a win for the Falcons. They are now tied with the Bucs for first place in the division. In their 36-30 win on TNF. Kirk Cousins’ 509 passing yards was a new franchise record for Atlanta.
Kirk Cousins is the QB the Falcons have been missing over the last 2-3 years
That was an MVP level performance from Kirk Cousins. Franchise Record 509 yards, 4 TDs. Clutch 4th Quarter drive to get in position to tie the game AFTER a bad int that could have ended the game. TD throw to end it in Overtime. Beautiful response. YOU LOVE TO SEE IT. pic.twitter.com/BeUWSNcBPm
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 4, 2024
This is Kirk Cousins’ 13th professional season in the NFL and his first with Atlanta. Falcons. The 36-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Commanders in 2012. He played six years with Washington before he left in free agency for the Minnesota Vikings. Cousins spent six seasons with Minnesota before he was a free agent this past offseason. The four-time Pro Bowler had options heading into 2024 but he ended up signing a four-year, $180 million deal.
Atlanta hoped that Cousins was the missing piece they’d been searching for on offense. The QB play of Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder was not getting it done for the Falcons. In each of their last three seasons, the team has finished 7-10. Kirk Cousins is trying to change that in 2024. On Thursday night, the Falcons hosted the Bucs for a primetime game. In a 36-30 OT win, Kirk Cousins threw for 509 passing yards and four touchdowns. His 509 yards set a new single-game passing record for the team. It was a huge win for the Falcons in Week 5 and Kirk Cousins had a vintage performance vs. the Bucs.
