Kirk Cousins made history for the Atlanta Falcons during a memorable night that paid tribute to one of the franchise’s greatest quarterbacks, Matt Ryan.

Cousins set a new record for the most passing yards in a single game for the Falcons, surpassing Ryan’s previous record, as Atlanta triumphed 36-30 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during “Thursday Night Football.” The 13-year veteran was in top form, frequently connecting with Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Kyle Pitts, showcasing Atlanta’s explosive offense.

Here’s a recap of Cousins’ career-best performance and its place in NFL history.

Kirk Cousins Performance Stats

During the thrilling comeback win against Tampa Bay, Cousins completed 42 of 58 passes (72.4 percent) for a total of 509 yards, along with four touchdowns and one interception. This performance marked only the 25th instance of a quarterback reaching 500 passing yards in NFL history, making him the 22nd player to do so.

Matt Ryan is also part of this elite group, having thrown for 503 yards in a 48-33 victory over the Carolina Panthers in the 2016 NFL season. That season, Ryan became the league’s MVP and led the Falcons to the Super Bowl.

While it might be too early to determine if Cousins’ performance will have a similar historical impact for the Falcons, fans can certainly feel optimistic about his sharp execution during the game.

Cousins skillfully threaded the ball through tight spaces, particularly evident during Mooney’s first touchdown of the game.

Utilizing his ability in play-action, he created favorable conditions against a weakened Tampa Bay secondary, opening up the field for London and Pitts.

He also distributed the ball effectively, with seven different players each catching at least two passes, and five players accumulating at least 66 receiving yards.

While London (154 yards) and Mooney (105 yards) were major contributors to Cousins’ record-setting day, it was truly a team effort among the quarterback and his receivers.

Kirk Cousins’ Game-Winning Drives

This triumph also marked the third fourth-quarter or overtime game-winning drive for Cousins this season, making him the leader in this category in the NFL. It’s important to note that he is one of just two quarterbacks to have played in a Week 5 game so far.

Cousins now boasts an impressive 31 game-winning drives in his career, tying him for 20th place in NFL history alongside Drew Bledsoe.

Among active quarterbacks, only four have more game-winning drives than Cousins:

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

List of NFL’s 500-Yard Passing Games

Cousins’ exceptional 509-yard performance set a new Falcons record, though it fell short of the NFL record. The record is held by Norm Van Brocklin, who threw for 554 yards in a game in 1951 featuring the Los Angeles Rams against the New York Yanks.

Here’s a complete list of players with 500-yard passing games in NFL history:

• Norm Van Brocklin, Los Angeles Rams: 554 yards (1951)
• Matt Schaub, Houston Texans: 527 yards (2012)
• Warren Moon, Houston Oilers: 527 yards (1990)
• Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: 525 yards (2021)
• Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers: 522 yards (2014)
• Boomer Esiason, Arizona Cardinals: 522 yards (1996)
• Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins: 521 yards (1988)
• Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions: 520 yards (2012)
• Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams: 517 yards (2019)
• Tom Brady, New England Patriots: 517 yards (2011)
• Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders: 513 yards (2016)
• Phil Simms, New York Giants: 513 yards (1985)
• Eli Manning, New York Giants: 510 yards (2012)
• Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints: 510 yards (2006)
• Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons: 509 yards (2024)
• Vince Ferragamo, Los Angeles Rams: 509 yards (1982)
• Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers: 506 yards (2017)
• Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys: 506 yards (2013)
• Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints: 505 yards (2015)
• Y.A. Tittle, New York Giants: 505 yards (1962)
• Elvis Grbac, Kansas City Chiefs: 504 yards (2000)
• Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: 503 yards (2016)
• Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers: 503 yards (2015)
• Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers: 503 yards (2009)
• Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: 502 yards (2020)