ATLANTA – As Kirk Cousins ​​ran back through the No. 4 tunnel at Mercedes-Benz Stadium late Thursday night, a small crowd of Atlanta Falcons fans began shouting for his attention, shouting “Kirk!”

Cousins, who had just finished the game of his career in a 36-30 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, looked back, smiled and gave a quick thumbs-up.

These were the kind of moments the Falcons brought Cousins ​​to Atlanta in March and paid him $180 million to make happen — when it all mattered, in the final moments, in overtime, to make the plays that meant victories over losses.

On Thursday night, Cousins ​​did just that in a performance that set personal and franchise records.

Cousins ​​passed for 509 yards against Tampa Bay, the first time he’d ever reached that milestone, breaking his personal best of 460 yards from two years ago. He also set a Falcons record for passing yards in a game, tying a record held by former Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, who threw for 503 yards against Carolina in 2016.

“This is my first time doing that, but honestly, I needed an extra quarter to get there in overtime. But Zac kept putting the ball in my hand and giving me a lot of at-bats,” Cousins ​​said, referring to the offensive coordinator from Falcons. Zac Robinson.

“It’s amazing what you can do when you’re on the field and get more opportunities.”

Coincidentally, it happened on a night when Ryan was placed in the Falcons’ Ring of Honor at halftime. Cousins ​​had chance after chance to break Ryan’s goal. He completed passes to seven Falcons, including a career-high 12 to receiver Drake London for 154 yards and a touchdown. He also completed nine to receiver Darnell Mooney for 105 yards and two touchdowns and seven to Kyle Pitts for 88 yards.

At several points, Atlanta’s players realized Cousins ​​was onto something else Thursday night. Running back Bijan Robinson realized it early in the fourth quarter when Cousins ​​found Mooney for their second touchdown.

For Cousins, it came in the second quarter.

“I threw a few passes where I expected where Kyle would be, where Drake would be,” Cousins ​​said. “And I was a little bit ahead of it in a good way. I threw it decisively.

“I just wasn’t that decisive the first few weeks. I tried to make sure that’s where they’re going and make sure that’s what I see before I let it go.”

On Thursday, he had the confidence, understanding and expectation he had been looking for, the kind he had in Washington and Minnesota. He had spent the first month of the season searching for it with his Falcons teammates. And now it started to flow. He started to feel more comfortable.

Falcons coach Raheem Morris described football as “all about confidence,” and each week he said he saw Cousins ​​become more confident following his season-ending Achilles injury in 2023. Thursday marked another step toward what could be possible for the Falcons.

Cousins ​​completed 42 of 58 passes with four touchdowns and one interception. He targeted four pass catchers at least eight times in a back-and-forth game that featured five lead changes.

“That was crazy,” Pitts said. “And one of the guys threw for .500, so that was crazy to see it with my own eyes. He’s a real leader, just like Matt, and just to have someone like that, you can learn a lot from him.”

Still, it was the man Cousins ​​was least focused on who came up with the game-winning play Thursday night: KhaDarel Hodge, who has been a deep receiver for most of his career and made his living in the NFL as a key special teams player who could contribute. on the attack in no time.

Twice London went out with possible injuries, and twice Hodge came in and made a catch, including in overtime. Hodge entered the field with the offense at the Tampa Bay 45-yard line, caught a 5-yard hook, turned and began sprinting. The cousins ​​thought it would be a quick win and they would play again. Instead, Hodge outmaneuvered most Bucs defenders into the end zone.

Game over. Secured back-to-back wins over NFC South opponents. Achieved a 500-meter race for Cousins.

It was Hodge’s second career touchdown catch, and his first since 2022. And then he landed on the shoulders of his teammates.

“I was trying to hold back the tears,” Hodge said. “But they came out.”

Opportunities like this were few and far between for Hodge. His career often consisted of moments where he played the star or played small attacking roles. In only one of his seven NFL seasons did he play more than 50% of his team’s offensive snaps.

Cousins ​​found him for the winning play on a night when he routinely found his stars. That pass to Hodge, Cousins ​​said, would be unforgettable. Cousins ​​showed what he can do when he’s healthy and gets the ball. Time and again he made the right decision and found the right player.

It was enough to give the Falcons back-to-back wins, pushing them to 3-2 in a close NFC South. And enough for the team to finally see what it’s capable of with its offense and their new quarterback.