Quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, Dec. 11, and the game was down to the wire. For the Falcons, the team is already out of the playoffs, so they were playing for pride. For the Buccaneers, they’re still very much in the race and had a 73% chance of making the postseason going into the game with the chance to raise that to 80%.
So, the game meant more to the Buccaneers than the Falcons, but one would never know it judging by the strong performance Cousins had during the showdown. In the end, Cousins and the Falcons pulled off a tight victory, 29-28, making them spoilers for the Bucs.
This was more than just a game for Cousins. It was the chance for the seasoned quarterback to show his best self in front of a prime-time audience. The Falcons may release Cousins after this season, and for any other NFL teams needing a veteran signal-caller on their roster, this was a performance for them.
During the game, the Falcons announced that Cousins made NFL history during the game. He passed Warren Moon in total passing touchdowns. Moon’s record was 291, and his at the point of the announcement was 292.
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Commenters on X were quick to voice their support for Cousins. “Should’ve started Kirk this year, things would’ve been different,” one said.
Another was harsh on the franchise for not giving Cousins more starts this season. “Not starting him probably cost Atlanta the division. Anybody with the brain knew he wasn’t completely healthy last year from that Achilles tear. Kurt was a very underrated quarterback, and he is showing it once again. Huge screwup by the coaches,” another commenter said.
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The Bucs are familiar opponents to Cousins. He went up against them twice last year and won both of those games. During the first Falcons-Buccaneers game of the season, a 36-30 overtime win, Cousins set a franchise record with 509 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception. In the second, Cousins clocked for 276 yards and four touchdowns for a 31-26 win.
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