TAMPA, Fla. — Now deep into his 14th season of pro football, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins’ two years with his third NFL franchise have fallen well short of a dream run.
The four-time Pro Bowl selection has still managed to be a nightmare for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with his latest conquest knocking the NFC South’s four-time reigning champions out of first place in the division standings with three games to go in the regular season.
Cousins threw three touchdown passes to tight end Kyle Pitts, and Zane Gonzalez kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to complete the Atlanta Falcons’ rally for a 29-28 victory over the Bucs on Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium.
On the final drive, Cousins completed back-to-back passes of 14 yards to Pitts on third-and-28 and 20 yards to David Sills V on fourth-and-14 to set up Gonzalez.
The division’s third-place Falcons (5-9), already eliminated from postseason contention and assured of their eighth straight losing season, overcame a franchise-record 19 penalties in the game and a 28-14 deficit in the fourth quarter to damage the playoff hopes of Tampa Bay (7-7). The Falcons avoided being swept in the regular-season series — the Bucs won the Sept. 7 opener 23-20 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium when Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo mised a 44-yard field-goal attempt with two seconds remaining — and edged ahead of Tampa Bay in the all-time series, 33-32.