QB Kirk Cousins Once mocked for playing under
the bright lights, Kirk Cousins has become a superstar.
Cousins once again faced high
odds and a large field on
Thursday night, scoring his
That night, he passed for 509
yards and four touchdowns, leading
the Atlanta Falcons to a 36-30 overtime
victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
At the start of the post-match press
conference he said: What an evening it was.
“I’m tired.” He had reason to be.
Cousins and the Falcons ran 81 offensive
plays, exhausting a beleaguered Bucs
defense and setting the stage for a
sensational rally. Their final play was a
Cousins-to-KhaDarel Hodge 45-yard
walk-off touchdown in overtime.
Cousins’ touchdown to Hodge
concluded an outstanding night
statistically in which his 509 yards stand as a
Falcons franchise record, an NFL high
this season and the most by a player 36 or
older in league history, per NFL Research.
“I think the key is we got more at bats,”
Cousins said. “We had 81 plays. So, we had some games this season with 50 something plays. So, you have 30 more plays. That’s like another third of a game. It just gives you more chances to spread it around and get guys involved to be productive.”
The game-winning OT drive, in which Cousins was 3 for 3 for 69 yards, came just moments after he had driven the Falcons 46 yards in 1:14 for a Younghoe Koo 52-yard game-tying field goal.
Those back-to-back, clutch-defining drives of Cousins prime-time magic came just two weeks removed from orchestrating a 70-yard, game-winning march against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night of Week 3.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris predicts there’s only more to come.
“We are just scratching the surface with him,” Morris said. “We are fired up.”
After an 0-2 start, Cousins’ performance against the Eagles was proof of why he was signed to an unprecedented free agent contract. Cousins, who suffered a season-ending 2023 Achilles tendon tear after the offense was held scoreless in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, reiterated Thursday night just how good this offense can be.
“His game is full of confidence,”
Morris said. Cousins has long maintained that he is not ready for prime time.
He is definitely ready and will lead the Falcons to some memorable moments under the lights.
“I’m proud of the way our team battled,” Cousins said. “I’m proud of the way we continue to play. I am proud of this championship. That’s what this league needs and we’re happy to win today.”
“Win or lose, I would have been happy with our actions tonight, but to win and experience this moment on the field with my teammates and the home fans is a lot of fun.”
