In Week 1, Kirk Cousins ​​got off to an anemic start to his Atlanta Falcons career, throwing for a paltry 155 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He looked cautious, the game plan didn’t seem to suit him and there was a bit of panic floating among the fanbase.

Patience, we were told, and things got better. Cousins ​​looked shaky in Week 2, but ultimately put it all together for a performance of 241 yards and two touchdowns. In Weeks 3 and 4, he threw for a total of 468 yards and one touchdown against a pair of picks. While it wasn’t particularly tangible progress statistically, Cousins ​​started moving a little better and seemed more comfortable on offense. Patience.

That patience paid off in an unexpected, phenomenal way against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cousins ​​played and acted like vintage Kirk Cousins ​​and proved that the Kirktober nickname is appropriate. Cousins ​​came out shooting and didn’t stop until the game was won. When his day was done, Cousins ​​had thrown the ball 58 times in the face of a lousy ground game and the need to propel his team back from the brink, finishing with a franchise single-game record of 509 yards and four touchdowns . There were imperfections, including a fourth-and-long interception and a few errant throws, but very rarely is a quarterback perfect. They were cousins fantastic.

Predictably, he is also the Falcons MVP this week. On a day when the Falcons allowed 24 first-half points and could have been completely out of the game with a lesser performance from Cousins, he absorbed sacks and watched a few tough Darnell Mooney drops and didn’t blink as he continually going back to Drake London and Mooney while still spreading the ball around. He gave the Falcons the win in this game, proving that patience was all we really needed.

I wrote after every game this year that I fully expected Cousins ​​to return to form at some point, but I wasn’t sure if it would be that soon or this form. While he won’t pass for 500 yards every week, if the Falcons can get Cousins ​​that sharp and accurate on a regular basis, he’ll be tough to stop.