ATLANTA (AP) — Kirk Cousins sure earned all that money Thursday night.
The $180 million quarterback 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.
“What a night,” Cousins said. “I’m exhausted.”
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.
Even with the five-yard penalty, Younghoe Koo knocked it through from 52 yards to force overtime, one week after he made a 58-yarder with 2 seconds left to beat the New Orleans Saints.
“I’m proud of the grit,” Cousins said. “In this league, that’s what it takes. We were gritty tonight.”
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.
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.
“The guys played hard,” coach Raheem Morris said. “They played to the end.”
After signing his big free agent deal with the Falcons, which included $100 million in guaranteed money, Cousins got off to sluggish start in Atlanta.
But he heard nothing but cheers on a night when the Falcons inducted longtime starting quarterback Matt Ryan into their Ring of Honor. The 36-year-old Cousins even swayed to the rap hit “Swag Surfin” during the postgame celebration, firmly establishing his chops in the A-T-L.
With Matty Ice cheering him on, Cousins broke Ryan’s team 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…