Falcons’ Kirk Cousins logs NFL’s 25th 500-yard passing game

Kirk Cousins made Atlanta Falcons history on a night where the franchise honored one of its best-ever quarterbacks, Matt Ryan.

Cousins broke the team record for passing yards in a single game, previously owned by Ryan, in the Falcons’ 36-30 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on ‘Thursday Night Football.’ The 13-year veteran was razor-sharp throughout the game, connection early and often with Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts in a dominant showing for Atlanta’s offense.

Here’s a breakdown of Cousins’ career-best outing and where it ranks among the top passing performances in NFL history.

Kirk Cousins stats today

Cousins completed 42-of-58 passes (72.4 percent) for 509 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in Atlanta’s come-from-behind win over Tampa Bay. His 500-yard passing game was just the 25th in NFL history, and he became just the 22nd different quarterback to achieve the feat.

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Ryan was among that exclusive group of 22 quarterbacks to log a 500-yard game. He posted 503 passing yards in the Falcons’ 48-33 win over the Carolina Panthers during the 2016 NFL season. Ryan went on to win MVP during that campaign and took the Falcons all the way to the Super Bowl.

It’s premature to say that Cousins’ outing will have that same type of impact on Atlanta’s franchise. Still, Falcons fans have to feel good after seeing how sharp he was throughout the evening.

Cousins fit the ball into tight windows early and often, as he showcased on Mooney’s first touchdown of the game.

The veteran quarterback also used his play-action prowess to manipulate Tampa Bay’s undermanned secondary to create pockets of space in the middle of the field for London and Pitts.

Cousins wasn’t afraid to spread the ball around, either. Seven different players caught at least two passes during the game and five different players recorded at least 66 yards.

So, while London (154 yards) and Darnell Mooney (105 yards) played the largest roles in Cousins’ record-breaking day, it really was a group effort for the quarterback and his receiving corps.

Kirk Cousins game-winning drives

The Falcons’ come-from-behind win also marked the third time Cousins had logged a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime this season. That’s the most in the NFL, though it’s worth noting that Cousins is one of just two quarterbacks to have played a Week 5 game to date.

Cousins now has a whopping 31 game-winning drives in his career. That puts him in a tie for the 20th-most in NFL history with Drew Bledsoe.

And among active quarterbacks, only four have more than Cousins. They are as follows:

Matthew Stafford (45)
Russell Wilson (39)
Derek Carr (34)
Aaron Rodgers (32)

NFL’s 500 yard passing games

While Cousins’ 509-yard performance broke a Falcons record, it wasn’t quite good enough to break the NFL record. That belongs to Norm Van Brocklin, who recorded 554 yards during a 1951 game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Yanks.

Below is the full list of the NFL’s 500-yard passers: