ATLANTA — On fourth-and-15 from the Atlanta 20-yard line, Kirk Cousins let a pass loose downfield towards Darnell Mooney for a big gain. There was only 1:52 on the clock in the fourth quarter, and the Falcons were down 30-27. As the pass sailed, Tampa Bay linebacker Lavonte David jumped in front of Mooney and came down with the interception.
In that moment, Cousins thought the game was over.
After everything, it felt over. It felt like a loss.
"Yeah," Cousins said postgame, "it kind of did."
What transpired in the aftermath of this one play, though, was anything but the game being over. The defense came up with a crucial three-and-out, giving the ball back to the offense with a minute and some change left. The Falcons didn't have anymore timeouts, but that wouldn't matter as Cousins and Co. were able to drive down the field to set up a game-tying, 52-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo to send the game to overtime.
The Thursday night showdown continued with the Falcons' offense taking the ball right back to start overtime. Four plays later, KhaDarel Hodge took a pass by Cousins 45 yards to the end zone for the walk-off, 36-30 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And after a performance last Sunday when the Falcons squeaked out a win over the Saints without scoring a single offensive touchdown, it was the "Kirko Show" in Atlanta just four days later.
"Kirko's a dawg," Mooney said in the postgame locker room as players and coaches alike wrapped their minds around one of the wildest finishes of any game this season.
Cousins finished the night with a final stat line of 42-of-58 through the air, which rounds out to a 72.4% completion rate. He tossed a career-best 509 passing yards with four touchdowns and the one interception. With 253-yards passing in the first half and 256 in the second half, Cousins became the only quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw for 250-plus yards both before and after halftime, according to OptaSTATS.
253 yards in 1st half 256 yards in 2nd half & OT He's the only NFL QB in the Super Bowl era to throw for 250+ yards both before & after halftime.
On a night when former Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan was inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor, Cousins put together a quarterbacking performance that broke Ryan's own single-game franchise record.
En route to those 500-plus passing yards, Cousins connected with seven different pass catchers. Of those seven, five had more than 60 receiving yards. Drake London and Mooney each went over 100 yards receiving.
It was a pass-game performance the Falcons haven't seen since the Ryan days. And it's one the Falcons' offense has been searching for through the 2024 season's start.
"It seems like we're just this close on a lot of things," offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said during his weekly availability this past Tuesday. "It might be one thing here, one thing there, a missed throw, a missed hit. We're just not connected on some things execution-wise."
Things were clicking, though — and clicking often — for the Falcons not 48 hours later. And according to players in the locker room, it felt like a unit unlocked.
"We're trying to be more consistent on offense," Bijan Robinson said, "and that's how it can be. ... That's what it should look like on offense. That pass-game was lethal."
After the game, Cousins took to the podium for his postgame press conference. With a sigh and a lean on the podium, Cousins gave his opening remarks.
"What a night," he began, before another cleansing breath. "I am exhausted. But the team fought and I am proud of the resiliency we showed.
"I was proud of the grit. That's what this league takes. And we were gritty tonight."
Had it been a win or a loss, Cousins continued, he would have been pleased with the steps the offense took in this particular game.
However, always the competitor, he was quick to add, with a smile...
"But it's always a lot of fun to be able to win."
Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium during Week 5, presented by Grady.