By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA — Kirk Cousins threw for a career-high 509 yards and four touchdowns, the last of them a 45-yard scoring pass to KhaDarel Hodge in overtime that gave the Atlanta Falcons an improbable 36-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.
After a wild fourth quarter that featured a blocked field goal, a fumble and an interception, Cousins and the Falcons (3-2) got the ball back at their own 20-yard line with 1:14 remaining in regulation and no timeouts, trailing 30-27.
Cousins completed five passes to push Atlanta to the Buccaneers’ 29, then hustled to the line to spike the ball with a single second on the clock. In all the confusion, the Falcons were called for delay of game as they lined up for a tying field goal, but it didn’t cost them.
Younghoe Koo knocked it through from 52 yards to force overtime, one week after he made a 58-yarder with two seconds left to beat the New Orleans Saints.
The Falcons won the coin toss in overtime and made sure Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers (3-2) didn’t get their hands on the ball again. Cousins connected with former USC standout Drake London on a couple of passes before throwing one over the middle to Hodge, who split the secondary and raced untouched to the end zone to end the game.
Mayfield threw three touchdown passes, including a pair to Mike Evans, and Chase McLaughlin booted three field goals. The last of them was a 53-yarder that put the Buccaneers ahead 30-27 with 10:23 remaining.
The Falcons tied it with a gutty fourth-down call by Coach Raheem Morris early in the fourth quarter.
After Tyler Allgeier was thrown for a 2-yard loss on third-and-2, the Falcons didn’t even consider a field goal from the Bucs’ 12.
Atlanta lined right back up and Cousins threw a pass to Darnell Mooney, who made the grab right at the marker but wasn’t content with just a first down. He shook off a tackler and scooted to the end zone.
Mooney also had a 24-yard touchdown catch during a wild first half that ended with the Buccaneers ahead, 24-17.
Both offenses ran up and down the field over the first two quarters, combining for 488 yards, 28 first downs and just one punt,
Cousins had an 18-yard touchdown pass to London, who finished with 12 catches for 154 yards. Mooney had nine receptions for 105.
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Koo missed his first field goal of the year from 41 yards but connected from 54 and 48 yards before splitting the uprights with the tying kick.
INJURY REPORT
Buccaneers: Safety Tykee Smith returned to the game after being evaluated for a possible head injury. … Linebacker Lavonte David hobbled to the sideline after taking a cut block from Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom, but only missed a couple of plays. … Safety Jordan Whitehead walked off slowly early in the fourth quarter with a groin injury.
Falcons: Cornerback Dee Alford left the game in the first half with a concussion. … London also took a blow to the head, but he was cleared to return before halftime. … Linebacker Troy Andersen, the NFC Defensive Player of the Week, did not suit up because of a knee injury.
UP NEXT
The Buccaneers travel to New Orleans for an NFC South game against the Saints (2-2) on Oct. 13.
The Falcons hit the road for the first time since Week 2 when they travel up I-85 to face the division rival Carolina Panthers (1-3) on Oct. 13.
More to come on this story.
The Atlanta Falcons’ KhaDarel Hodge runs with the ball on a game-winning 45-yard touchdown pass to give his team a 36-30 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night in Atlanta. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)