ATLANTA — KhaDarel Hodge caught the game-winning 45-yarder with 8:45 left in overtime and Kirk Cousins passed for a career-high 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 into overtime as regulation expired, Cousins found Hodge, who had missed a reception in the contest, for the game-winner.
Cousins completed 42 of 58 passes while passing Matt Ryan’s 2016 yardage mark of 503. 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, and Mike Evans caught five passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns for the Buckeyes (3-2).
Trailing 24-17 at halftime, the Falcons tied it on Koo’s 48-yard field goal with 6:21 left in the third quarter. Tampa Bay answered on the next drive with Chase McLaughlin’s 32-yard field goal at the 1:17 mark of the third quarter.
On the next drive, the Falcons advanced to the Tampa Bay 10-yard line. After Tyler Allgeier faced a 2nd-and-2 loss, Cousins found Mooney on a 12-yard scoring pass with 13:18 left in the fourth quarter.
McLaughlin’s 53-yard field goal capped Tampa Bay’s next drive, as the Buckeyes regained the lead with 10:23 left. After Mooney threw what would have been a first down reception, Koo’s 54-yard attempt was blocked by Tavierre Thomas with 6:29 left.
Jessie Bates III then forced a Bucky Irving fumble, and Atlanta found itself at the 25 with 2:50 left. However, Lavonte David picked off Cousins on fourth-and-15, before Tampa Bay punted after a 30-second drive.
After a nine-play, 46-yard drive, Koo tied the game with a 52-yard field goal as time expired.
On the opening drive of the game, Cousins led the offense on a seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive, culminating in a touchdown at the London 18-yard line.
Mayfield then capped the scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Evans, tying the score at 7 with 7:36 left in the first quarter.
After missing Koo’s 41-yard field goal, Tampa Bay took the lead on McLaughlin’s 53-yard field goal with 1:22 left in the first quarter.
After Cousins and Mayfield exchanged touchdown passes to start the second quarter, Mayfield answered Koo’s 54-yard pass with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard.
–Jack Batten, Field Level Media