The Atlanta Falcons can never play a normal football game, but somehow that worked to their advantage during an instant classic Thursday Night Football matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to begin Week 5.
Atlanta beat the Bucs, 36-30, in overtime in one of the better Thursday night games in recent memory. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins was electric, finishing 42-for-58 (!) for 509 yards (!!) and four touchdowns, including the walk-off in OT.
The Falcons marched down the field on their final drive of regulation to get into field goal range for Younghoe Koo. Then they took a delay of game penalty, because they’re the Falcons. Koo booted a 52-yarder to force OT anyway, and that’s when Cousins was ready to put the finishing touches on his career day.
In overtime, Cousins found KhaDarel Hodge, who took a short pass all the way to the house for a 45-yard game-winning score.
The fans in Atlanta erupted. Cousins responded by doing the only logical thing for a 36-year-old dork like himself: he tried his best to dance to “Swag Surfin’.”
Cool moves, Kirk!
Here’s a look at the game-winning touchdown pass. What a strike.
Cousins went viral earlier in the week for sounding like the world’s lamest dad when talking about discovering the Atlanta anthem:
Amazon’s Taylor Rooks even taught him the dance at the end of a segment that ran just before the game.
Kirk Cousins told me his teammates are learning that his swag is having no swag. But Kirk also doesn’t know how to swag surf – and we had to change that. pic.twitter.com/wDNwNXOfOX
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) October 4, 2024
Cousins had the last laugh on this night. It sets a new record as the highest passing yards total in franchise history. It’s also the highest passing total for an NFL QB this season.
What a night for Kirk Cousins. Please never show us your Dirty Bird.
