The Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers going toe-to-toe in a 36–30 overtime shootout, won by the Falcons, produced a rare Thursday Night Football classic.
“The back-and-forth at the end there, it’s definitely up there,” Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield told reporters after the loss.
Largely bemoaned by players and fans alike over the years, Thursday night games have often shown the consequences of playing games on shortened weeks between contests. Injuries, mistakes, or sloppy play have become almost synonymous with Thursdays during the NFL season as teams usually only have three days to recoup from the previous game.
However, both the Falcons and Buccaneers looked on point as the teams combined for 41 points in the first half alone. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins set a franchise record with 509 yards passing as he went 42–58 with four touchdowns.
That included a 45-yard pass play to wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge, who racked up most of those yards after the catch on the way to a game-winning score.
“We’re just scratching the surface with him,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris told reporters about Cousins afterward. “His game is all about confidence. His game is about going out there and getting better and better every single week.”
Cousins deflected the credit after the game and gave it to offensive coordinator Zach Robinson and the other offensive players instead. The Falcons piled on 582 yards of offense in 77 plays.
“Zach kept putting the ball in my hand (and) kept giving me opportunities,” Cousins said in his postgame interview. “People kept getting open, and I was protected. And My job is just being the distributor and getting it to the open man.”
Mayfield also looked impressive with 19–24 passing for 180 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target, star wide receiver Mike Evans, caught two of those touchdowns, which included a 100th career score.
Atlanta and Tampa Bay went back-and-forth all evening in a game that only involved only three punts and two turnovers. The teams combined for 883 total yards, but there were defensive plays, too.
Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David thwarted one of Cousins’ touchdown attempts with an interception in the fourth quarter, and Mayfield acknowledged he thought that would seal the game as Tampa Bay led 30–27 with 1:52 left. The Buccaneers flirted with disaster four players earlier when Falcons safety Jessie Bates III recovered a fumble by Buccaneers rookie running back Bucky Irving.
Buccaneers defensive end Logan Hall sacked Cousins twice, and former Georgia standout safety Tykee Smith stepped up for the Buccaneers with a game high 11 tackles plus a forced fumble and pass deflection. Defensive tackle David Onyemata had the lone sack of Mayfield for the Falcons.
Special teams played a pivotal role as well. Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin went 3–3 with a long of 53 yards, but Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo provided the drama with two misses during the game. Koo rebounded nonetheless with a 52-yard field goal as time expired in regulation, and he finished 3–5 on field goal attempts for the night.
While there have been numerous other classic Thursday night games such as Aaron Rodgers’ game-winning Hail Mary touchdown in 2007, the Falcons and Buccaneers can join that list.
Though the Buccaneers and Falcons piled on the points, they didn’t break the record for the most points in a Thursday night game. That belongs to the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in 2017, a 41–39 contest won by the Rams.
Other notable Thursday night games from the past include the New York Jets edging the New England Patriots 34–31 in 2008 and the Denver Broncos coming back to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31–24 in 2015.
