ATLANTA — KhaDarel Hodge caught a game-winning 45-yard touchdown with 8:45 left in overtime and Kirk Cousins passed for a franchise-record 509 yards as the Atlanta Falcons beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36-30 on Thursday night.
After Younghoe Koo’s 52-yard field goal sent the game to overtime as regulation expired, Cousins found Hodge, who had zero receptions entering the contest, for the game-winner.
Cousins completed 42 of 58 passes while surpassing Matt Ryan’s yardage mark of 503 in 2016. Cousins threw for four touchdowns and an interception, as the Falcons (3-2) won their second straight. Drake London caught 12 balls for 154 yards and a score, while Darnell Mooney caught nine passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
Baker Mayfield threw for 180 yards and three touchdowns, while Mike Evans caught five passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns for the Buccaneers (3-2).
Trailing 24-17 at halftime, the Falcons cut into the deficit with Koo’s 48-yard field goal with 6:21 left in the third quarter. Tampa Bay answered on the following drive with Chase McLaughlin’s 32-yard field goal at the 1:17 mark of the third.
On the next drive, the Falcons advanced to the Tampa Bay 10-yard line. After Tyler Allgeier was tackled for a loss of 2 on third-and-2, Cousins found Mooney for a game-tying 12-yard score with 13:18 left in the fourth quarter.
McLaughlin’s 53-yard field goal stamped the ensuing Tampa Bay drive, as the Buccaneers reclaimed the lead with 10:23 remaining. After Mooney dropped what would have been a first-down reception, Koo’s 54-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Tavierre Thomas with 6:29 left.
Falcons safety Jessie Bates III then forced a Bucky Irving fumble, which Atlanta recovered on its own 25 with 2:50 left. However, Lavonte David picked off Cousins on fourth-and-15, before Tampa Bay punted after a 30-second drive.
Capping a nine-play, 46-yard march, Koo tied the game with a 52-yard field goal as time expired.
On the game’s opening possession, Cousins led the Atlanta offense on a seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive, culminating with London’s 18-yard receiving touchdown.
Mayfield then capped a scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Evans, knotting the score at 7 with 7:36 remaining in the first quarter.
After Koo’s missed 41-yard field-goal attempt, Tampa Bay took its first lead on McLaughlin’s 53-yard field goal with 1:22 to go in the opening quarter.
After Cousins and Mayfield exchanged passing touchdowns to begin the second quarter, Mayfield answered Koo’s 54-yarder with a 4-yard passing touchdown to Sterling Shepard.
–Jack Batten, Field Level Media
