Bucs wasted a ball recovery in good field position late in regulation; they paid dearly
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers They established from the beginning that Thursday night’s game would be an offensive battle with both teams scoring touchdowns on their first possessions, so it seemed fitting that the NFC South matchup would be decided by a long touchdown pass.
Kirk Cousins he threw his fourth touchdown of the game, a 45-yarder to KhaDarel Hodgewho had just entered the game after a knee injury. Drake Londonto give to the Falcons a 36-30 victory in overtime.
The 51-yard field goal Younghoe Koo as the regular game expired forced overtime, and Cousins took care of the rest by setting a career mark with 509 yards to lead Atlanta (3-2) to a tie at the top of the division.
Kirk Cousins celebrates after the win in Week 5 against the Buccaneers. AP Photo/Butch Dill
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The difference between making the playoffs or not, winning a division or not, is in games like Thursday’s.
With a 3-2 record, with dramatic consecutive victories over New Orleans y Tampa Bay, Atlanta has an early advantage in NFC On due to tiebreakers Saints and the Buccaneers. That could prove crucial in December and January in what figures to be a tight division.
Quarterback analysis: Cousins looked healthy and was once again the quarterback that the Falcons They gave him a $180 million contract in the offseason. He completed 42 of 58 passes for 509 yards, 4 touchdowns and an interception.
It’s the sixth time he’s thrown for 350 yards and three touchdowns in a prime-time game, tying Patrick Mahomes y Peyton Manning, according to ESPN Research.
Surprising Stats: Drake London remains dominant when faced with Tampa Bay: Three of his four 100-yard rushing games have come against the Buccaneersincluding Thursday’s 12-catch, 154-yard performance. He also scored his first touchdown against Tampa Bay in the first quarter.
Promising trend: Mooney continues to look more like the receiver he was in Chicago in 2021 than in his last two seasons with the Bears. He had his first game with multiple touchdown receptions (in 2021 he had a game with a rushing and receiving touchdown) and his nine receptions for 105 yards are among his career highs. However, he had two turnovers, including one that could have been costly.
Amazing performance: A week after failing to catch a pass against New Orleanstight end Kyle Pitts had his best statistical game in almost a year, catching 7 passes for 88 yards, emerging once again as part of the Atlanta. His receptions and yards are the most since Oct. 8, 2023 vs. Houstonwhen Pitts had seven receptions for 87 yards on a career-high 11 targeted passes.
Next match: contra Carolina Panthers (Sunday, October 13).
