Dallas City News

Kirk Cousins leads Atlanta Falcons past Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Marc Raimondi, ESPN

Atlanta defeated their division foe to take control of their division.

TAMPA, Fla. — Kirk Cousins asked Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris if he could speak to the entire team last Tuesday. Morris gave him time Friday and Cousins talked to the players coming off a lackluster loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7.

“This league beats you up and it tests you every day and it just kicks you down and you’ve got to get back up,” Cousins said Sunday in his postgame news conference. “And sometimes I need to encourage myself. And when I was encouraging myself, I thought, ‘You know what? Maybe somebody else could use this, too.’”

The Falcons responded with a 31-26 win over the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday here at Raymond James Stadium. Safety Jessie Bates III said afterward Cousins’ words, which were kept private, were particularly influential. Atlanta is now 4-0 in the NFC South with two victories over the Bucs, their main competitor for division supremacy.

Cousins, in particular, had a big day. The veteran quarterback was 23-of-29 passing for 276 yards and four touchdowns. He continued his mastery over Tampa, following a Falcons-record 509-yard performance against the Bucs in Week 5. Cousins is just the fourth quarterback in NFL history with 750 passing yards and eight passing touchdowns against a single opponent in a season, joining Dan Marino, Joe Montana and Y.A. Tittle.

Cousins found tight end Kyle Pitts for two touchdowns and wide receiver Darnell Mooney and running back Bijan Robinson for one apiece. He was the first Falcons quarterback to throw for three touchdown passes in a first half since Matt Ryan in 2020.

‘Elite processor’: Kirk Cousins displays expert knowledge of play concepts in Week 8 win – Tori McElhaney, AtlantaFalcons.com

It seems signing free agent Kirk Cousins is paying off to Atlanta.

PROGRESSING THROUGH THE PROCESS — Before we talk about the Falcons’ win against the Buccaneers this Sunday, let’s first rewind back to February, when Raheem Morris held his introductory press conference as the team’s newest head coach.

In said presser, he was asked what traits he values most in a quarterback. At the time, the Falcons were in the market for one.

Morris was straightforward in his answer, claiming he wanted an “elite processor” to lead the offense in 2024. We should have known then that his (and general manager Terry Fontenot’s) vision was actually Kirk Cousins in a Falcons’ uniform.

We talked a lot about Cousins’ performance against the Buccaneers in 2024 after the Falcons’ Sunday win. On the field, he is putting up top-10 marks in passing yards per game (4th), completions per game (7th) and completion percentage in tight-window throws per game (4th). The Falcons’ offense has the lowest three-and-out rate in the league, and they are just outside the top 10 in scoring average. Players like Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts are on track for career years with Cousins as their quarterback. Off the field, Cousins has been the leader in the clubhouse players are rallying behind.

All of this was on display in the Falcons’ second meeting against. But something that I found to be the most interesting was seeing the way Cousins was clicking within the scheme itself. That can be seen through the four touchdowns he threw Sunday in the win; three of which were explosive gains of 30-plus yards.

Back in training camp, Cousins used the term “explosive” to describe this offense’s potential. Against the Bucs Sunday, they were exactly that, taking some chunk plays that put up big scores. We’re going over those plays in this Monday’s notebook, highlighting what we can glean about not only Cousins’ comfort and knowledge of the scheme but the offensive line’s overlooked work in these plays, too.

Studs and Duds from Falcons’ victory over the Buccaneers – Deen Worley, USA Today

Multiple Falcons showed up against division rival Bucs.

Despite a late-game surge by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Atlanta Falcons held on for a 31-26 victory to improve to 5-3 on the season. Week by week, the team is getting better and learning how to win football games.

The Falcons are now 4-0 in the division and on track for their first postseason berth in six years. While the team was far from perfect, it was another encouraging performance with Atlanta’s best players stepping up in the biggest moments.

Here’s a look at the studs and duds from Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers:

STUD: Kyle Pitts

In all honesty, Pitts could have been on the duds list after nearly fumbling the ball as he crossed the goal line for his second touchdown. Nonetheless, it was the first time Pitts scored two touchdowns in a game. He ended the day with 91 receiving yards on four catches. The fourth-year tight end continues to get more involved in the offense as the season goes on.

STUD: Jessie Bates

Jessie Bates set the tone early by punching the ball away from Rachaad White to start the game. He added another turnover in the second half by intercepting Bucs QB Baker Mayfield. Bates has been Atlanta’s best defensive player all season long and he’s the first Falcons player to record a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception in the same game.