After an offseason filled with more than a little hype, the Atlanta
Falcons faced more than a little pressure in Week 5. The Falcons had played in
four one-possession games to open the season. But they had also lost two of
three at home.

A loss Thursday to the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay
Buccaneers would drop Atlanta to 1-3 at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Drop the Falcons
two back of Tampa with a head-to-head loss. And ratcheted up the rumblings that
the 2024 Falcons were overrated. That the addition of veteran quarterback Kirk
Cousins was less seismic, franchise-altering move and more Cousins once again
padding his bank account.

Cousins earned that cabbage Thursday night—in a game that may come to define the Falcons in 2024.

All Cousins did against the Buccaneers was complete 42-of-58
passes for a career-high 509 yards. Lead Atlanta on a frenetic comeback to tie
the game at the end of regulation. And then calmly guide the team down the
field for the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

This isn’t the first prime-time, late-game heroics from Cousins against an NFC contender, either—he led the Falcons to a last-second win in Philadelphia in Week 2.

The Falcons still have flaws—plural. The team continues to
struggle in the red-zone, and the pass-rush is non-existent.

But Cousins has had Atlanta in every game they have played, and the team’s schedule to start the year has been brutal—not one of their first five opponents has a losing record.

Next week brings a break—a trip to Carolina to face the lowly Panthers. And while there are no gimme wins in the NFL, Atlanta showed again against the Bucs that they aren’t going away until the game’s over.

And maybe all that hype wasn’t so misplaced after all.