Cousins ​​throws for 509 yards, hitting Hodge in OT and giving the Falcons a 36-30 win over the Bucs

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

After a wild 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 by one from 30:27.

Cousins ​​completed five passes to push Atlanta to the Buccaneers’ 29th, then stormed to the line to score the ball with one second left. In all the confusion, a delay of game was imposed on the Falcons as they prepared for a tying field goal, but it cost them nothing.

Younghoe Koo ran the ball through from 52 yards to force overtime, a 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, ensuring Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers (3-2) didn’t get their hands on the ball again.

Cousins ​​connected with Drake London on a few passes before throwing a short pass to Hodge, who shrugged off a tackle at the 40, cut a gap in the secondary and stormed untouched to the end zone to end the game.

Mayfield threw three touchdown passes, including a pair Mike Evansand Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals. The last of them was a 53-yarder that gave the Buccaneers a 30-27 lead with 10:23 left.

The Falcons evened the score on a bold fourth-down call from coach Raheem Morris early in the fourth quarter.

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

Atlanta lined up at the back and Cousins ​​threw a pass to Darnell Mooney, who grabbed the ball right at the marker but didn’t settle for a first down. He shook off a tackler and slid into the end zone.

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

Both offensive players ran up and down the field in the first two quarters and combined for 488 yards, 28 first downs and just one punt.

Cousins ​​had an 18-yard touchdown pass Londonwho finished the game 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 scored from 54 and 48 yards before splitting the uprights with the game-winning kick.

Injury report

Buccaneers: S Tykee Smith returned to the game after being evaluated for a possible head injury. … LB Lavonte David limped to the sideline after taking a cut block from Falcons G Chris Lindstrom, but missed just a few plays. … S Jordan Whitehead was slowly coming off a groin injury early in the fourth quarter.

Falcons: CB Dee Alford left the game in the first half with a concussion. … London also suffered a blow to the head but was able to return before half-time. … LB Troy Andersen, the NFC Defensive Player of the Week, did not play due to a knee injury.

Next

Buccaneers: Travel to New Orleans on Oct. 13 for an NFC South game against the Saints (2-2).

Falcons: Hit the road for the first time since Week 2 when they head up I-85 to take on the division rival Carolina Panthers (1-3) on Oct. 13.

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