With 509 yards thrown, the Falcons quarterback led his team to success over the Bucs. Kicker Koo equalizes in the last second of regulation, then Hodge’s touchdown decides
October 4 – 07:48 – MILAN
One second. One second can mean everything in football. Atlanta reminds us of this by beating Tampa Bay 36-30 on Thursday Night which opens the fifth NFL day thanks to kicker Youngohe Koo’s 52-yard life-saving kick in the last second of regulation time. Then in overtime Kirk Cousins completes his dream game, the best with the new team, with 509 passing yards, a franchise record, with 45 for receiver KhaDarel Hodge closing the accounts. The Falcons won the division match, the NFC South, reaching the top: 3-2 record, like Tampa, which threw away a victory that now seemed to be a foregone conclusion, nullifying yet another great performance from Baker Mayfield.
untamed falcons
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Atlanta saw its 36-year-old quarterback complete 42 of 58 attempted passes, scoring four tries. The receivers do their part: Drake London rages, 12 catches for 154 yards, tight end Kyle Pitts seems everywhere. And the defense, after being crumbled in the first half, puts the pieces back together in the second half and with Grady Jarrett and Matt Judon manages to put just enough pressure on Mayfield to make the difference to the delight of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium crowd , Georgia. Coach Morris messes up when, during his celebration for the penultimate play of regulation time, he “forgets” to send the special team onto the field for the kick in good time and gets a 5-yard penalty, but it’s a magical evening for his boys: everything goes well , pays no duty.
Bucs mocked
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They had the game in control, ahead by 3 points with 1’44” to play in regulation time, after the interception of the defense leader, Lavonte David, on Cousins. Yet they manage not to score points starting from the opponent’s 31 yards, messing up for three games in a row and then the defense opens up like a toll booth, granting the Falcons the kick at the last minute that forces overtime. A disaster that makes Mayfield’s three-touchdown performance useless.
the match
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Both teams score on their first offensive possession. Cousins triggers London for 7-0, Mayfield finds Mike Evans for 7-all. 10-7 for the guests at the end of the 1st quarter. Then Cousins feeds Darnell Mooney in the end zone to make it 14-10 Falcons, then Mayfield unleashes Evans again to make it 17-14. 100th career touchdown for the Texans receiver. Koo hits the 54-yard field goal at 17-all, Sterling Shepard, Mayfield’s former teammate at Oklahoma, receives the oval from him to make it 24-17, the half-way score. Cousins already with 253 yards of throwing. Matt Ryan, former great Falcons quarterback, is introduced into the Ring of Honor during the break, the eternal glory of the franchise. So 27-20 Tampa at the end of the 3rd quarter. A 4th-down catch by Mooney tied it, 27-all. And then 30-27 Tampa.
grand finale
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Anything happens. A ball not held by Mooney forces Koo’s kick, this time blocked. A fumble by freshman running back Irving returns the favor when Tampa seemed to be in the home stretch, on the opponent’s 25 yards. Cousins is intercepted by David, but Atlanta still has another chance and with one second left Koo tries the kick from 52 yards. Good. Additional. It all happens quickly. Cousins triggers runback Hodge for the 45-yard touchdown that ends the game. Falcons over the moon, Bucs mocked and inconsolable.
