Falcons’ Kirk Cousins has another strong performance when playing the Bucs
TAMPA, Fla. — Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins owns the Buccaneers.
For the third time in three starts with the Falcons, he guided them to victory over the NFC South bully.
With some pinpoint passing, Cousins rallied the Falcons from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to a 29-28 victory over the Bucs on Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium.
With no timeouts, Cousins calmly drove the Falcons into range and kicker Zane Gonzalez, who made a 43-yard field goal at the buzzer for the victory.
“Just proud of my teammates, my coaches and the effort that everybody put forth to make this happen,” Cousins said “Proud of our resiliency to be down 14 and fight back. Yeah, we’ll enjoy the flight home and enjoy the long weekend and get back to work.”
Cousins guided the Falcons to a 36-30 victory over the Bucs last season on Oct. 3, 2024, and passed for a franchise-record 509 yards. He also led them to a 31-26 victory over the Bucs here on Oct. 27, 2024.
A lot has happened since that victory.
Cousins got hurt in Week 10 and was later benched. He lost his job to Michael Penix Jr.
Penix started in the season opener against the Bucs on Sept. 7. The Bucs won 23-20 when then-kicker Younghoe Koo missed a 44-yard field-goal attempt that likely would have forced overtime.
Cousins was regulated to a backup role until Penix suffered a season-ending left knee injury against the Panthers on Nov. 16. Cousins, the highest paid backup quarterback in the NFL, was thrust back into the starting lineup.
The Falcons were down 28-14 with 13:34 to play in the fourth quarter. Things were looking pretty bleak as the Falcons were committing penalties at an alarming rate. They finished with a franchise-record 19 penalties for 125 yards.
Cousins said he relied on his faith in that circumstance.
“Pro football tests you,” Cousins said. “I do feel like it keeps me on my knees and it’s been — as was mentioned, has been a difficult two years since tearing my Achilles. All I know to do is trust and keep going and walk by faith and not by sight. That could be hard sometimes, but then you get nights like (Thursday) where you get a bit of a boost.”
Cousins directed the Falcons on a crisp eight-play, 65-yard touchdown drive. They went for two and failed to convert, making the score 28-20.
The defense came up with an interception by cornerback Dee Alford, and Cousins was back in business. He guided the Falcons on a 10-play, 67-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a 7-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts. Another two-point conversion failed, and the Falcons were down 28-26 with 3:34 to play.
The Falcons got another stop, but had to use up all their timeouts.
Cousins got the ball back with 1:49 to play and no timeouts.
The Falcons looked like they were going to shoot themselves in the foot — like they had for most of the game. Cousins recovered his fumble and, a few plays later, Jake Matthews was called for holding.
It was second-and-28 from their 29. Cousins found Pitts for 14 yards and then David Sills V for 21 yards to convert the first down and move into Tampa Bay territory. Four plays and 11 yards later, Gonzalez was on the field to kick the game winner.
The fourth-and-14 pass to Sills was clutch.
“Yeah, kind of had a mirrored concept and was wanting to pick a side,” Cousins said. “For whatever reason my eyes took me right, and David found a hole between the corner and safety. David has some height and just felt like I needed to put the ball up and over the corner. He made me right (by) going up and getting it. That was a big play, big play.”
Cousins leaned on Pitts throughout the game. He caught 11 of 12 targets for 166 yards and three touchdowns.
“Yeah, Kyle continues to be a great talent when it comes to his ability to separate and run,” Cousins said. “Obviously he’s a big frame, and (offensive coordinator) Zac (Robinson) did a great job designing, especially on a short week, ways to get Kyle opportunities. We were able to take advantage of them.”
Cousins doesn’t know what it is about the Bucs that brings out the best in him.
“I don’t know,” Cousins said. “I don’t know. No, I played Coach Bowles going back to 2014 in Arizona and he would kick my tail, so I don’t know what it is. Since coming to Atlanta we have had three great games. The way I view it, pro football, is each game is its own entity and you have to earn it again. I don’t think there is anything there except that we just — we would have to prove it the next time.”
Cousins completed 30 of 44 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns. He had a passer rating of 117, his highest of the season.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
