Kirk Cousins threw a career-high 509 yards for four touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons secured a 36-30 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Falcons, trailing 30-27 with one second left on the clock in the final quarter, forced overtime when Younghoe Koo hit a 52-yard field goal.

The Bucs paid the price for losing the coin toss in overtime and failed to have possession again.

Cousins twice found Drake London as the Falcons progressed to the endzone and he put a 45-yard pass through the middle for KhaDarel Hodge to secure the win.

“I spread it around and the players made plays,” said Cousins, who joined the Falcons in a four-year deal earlier this year.

“I’m grateful for the progress we’ve made. We’re getting better and better each week.”

The win was the Falcons’ third of the season, after winning two and losing two of their first four matches.

“I’m proud of the grit,” Cousins said.

“In this league, that’s what it takes. We were gritty tonight.”

The Atlanta Falcons, led by quarterback Kirk Cousins, face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by quarterback Kirk Cousins in Week 4 of the NFL season on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024 (10/3/24) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

How to watch: Fans can watch the game for free via a trial of Amazon Prime

Here’s what you need to know:

What: NFL, Week 4

Who: Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

When: Oct. 3, 2024

Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Time: 8:20 p.m. ET

TV: N/A

LIVE STREAM: Amazon Prime

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons had big plans for their offense when they decided to invest heavily in quarterback Kirk Cousins and add new coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

The widespread belief was they only needed an established quarterback and a fresh game plan to utilize the playmakers added in the first rounds of recent drafts — tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson.

Entering Thursday night’s visit from NFC South leader Tampa Bay (3-1), the Atlanta offense has yet to find its momentum. The Falcons (2-2) have shown flashes of promise as Cousins has led two game-winning drives, but the veteran hasn’t matched the production of Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield that has led the Buccaneers to the top of the division.

The most recent evidence of mixed results came Sunday in the Falcons’ 26-24 win over New Orleans. Atlanta won despite not scoring an offensive touchdown, while Pitts was held without a catch and Bijan Robinson ran for only 28 yards.

Morris said he’ll take the win and let others fret about the numbers.

“Really for me, stats are for losers,” Morris said after the game.

Morris and Robinson acknowledge improvement must come and the offense can’t always rely on the defense and special teams to produce the points.

“Have we reached our peak of what you want to play and how you can be best?” Morris asked on Monday. “No. But I think that’s a part of what the season is. I think that’s a part of steady improvement, steady growth, and I love that about our football team. I think we know that, I think they know that, and I think we’re really comfortable being able to go out there and win football games however we can.”

Mayfield threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score in Sunday’s 33-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Mayfield has passed for eight touchdowns with two interceptions. Cousins, who signed a four-year, $180 million deal as a free agent, has four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Wide receiver Mike Evans became the Buccaneers’ career scoring leader last week. Evans is only one part in a passing game that also features wide receiver Chris Godwin and then promoted Sterling Shepard from the practice squad as another option for Mayfield.

“I think that it really makes it difficult for the defense,” Godwin said. “It’s one thing when a guy is going off because you feed the hot hand, right? But if we’re able to spread the ball around that much, everybody gets involved. … You can mix in your quick game, your deep passing game, play actions, screens.”

Success in the South

The Bucs have won the past three NFC South titles. This is their fourth 3-1 start in the past five years. They’ve also been successful against Atlanta lately, winning six of the past eight meetings between the division rivals, outscoring the Falcons by 51 points in those games.

Yellow flags

The Falcons committed nine penalties for 76 yards on Sunday and already have 30 penalties for the season.

“We can’t have those,” Zac Robinson said Tuesday. “There’s certain situations we’re trying to avoid, and obviously it’s at the discretion of the refs to call those. And you got to just keep playing, and so those have been tough.”

Cooking with Baker

Mayfield is off to a solid start after resurrecting a stalled career in 2023 and signing a three-year, $100 million contract to remain in Tampa Bay.

The No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 draft is coming off throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in last Sunday’s 33-16 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles. He also ran for a TD.

He enters Thursday night with a 106.9 passer rating that ranks fourth in the NFL. He’s second in TD passes (eight) and fourth in passing yards (984).

Falcons offense is coming

Zac Robinson says more offensive consistency is close because “there’s been games where we’ve executed really well.”

“We’re trying to find that mix to where we know we’re close to getting over the hump with some things, and guys are just — they’re eager,” Robinson said. “They want to be the most explosive offense and the best offense in the NFL.”

Comfort zone in Tampa

Godwin attributes some of Mayfield’s success to the comfort level that comes with being with the same team for a second season.

“And yes, this is our first year in this offensive system, but it’s his second year with this group of guys and I think the camaraderie that we built last year really helped,” Godwin said.

“I think the adversity that we faced when we all stuck together — I think (that) really helps this year,” Godwin added. “I think it’s just a natural maturation process, just for him as a player.”

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When the Atlanta Falcons’ defense takes the field Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rookie linebacker JD Bertrand is expected to be in the middle of it.

Bertrand, drafted in the fifth round out of Notre Dame this April, is next-in-line for Atlanta at linebacker after Troy Andersen was ruled out Wednesday with a knee injury. Andersen started the past three games in place of Nate Landman, who’s on injured reserve with quad and calf ailments.

The 24-year-old Bertrand played eight defensive snaps Sunday after seeing just one — the first of his NFL career — the week prior. Bertrand has recorded two tackles thus far, both on special teams, where he’s played 85% of Atlanta’s snaps.

Now, Bertrand is in the spotlight, seeing his first taste of extensive action on Thursday Night Football — and he feels prepared.

“Any opportunity, I’m going to continue to be ready and I think that’s been my job up to this point as a backup,” Bertrand said. “If the opportunity appears Thursday, then I’ll be sure I’m ready.”

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who’s often referred to Bertrand by his “Captain America” nickname, echoed similar sentiments surrounding his belief in Bertrand’s readiness.

“I told you I was really confident in JD a long time ago,” Morris said. “It’s his opportunity to go out there and get ready to go play, and play alongside Kaden [Elliss], and I feel really good about what he’s done. I feel really good about his progress. I feel really good about what he did in the preseason.

“Then we had a chance to get him out there and go with some of our guys, get ramped up in special teams, the proving ground for us, and now we get a chance to get him out there, get some live bullets, man. I’m fired up to see him.”

Confidence in Bertrand stems from the way he’s played since the Falcons started rookie minicamp May 10. Be it OTAs, training camp or the preseason, Bertrand continually turned heads.

But he also proved Atlanta’s coaching staff correct in its pre-draft evaluation of his skill set, defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said.

“He sees it really, really well — it’s the reason why we drafted him,” Lake said. “We can see and feel his football instincts. Once he arrived here, all of those traits showed up in practice. He got a few reps this last Sunday, played really well.”

Bertrand, who stands 6-foot-1, 233 pounds, has spent much of the early part of the season preparing for his special teams snaps. This week, ahead of his expected starting opportunity, he’s shifted the balance to be more defense-heavy.

That process includes understanding the game plan as its installed, watching previous games and matching defensive calls to different plays their opponents have run this year.

Once Bertrand feels comfortable and confident pairing any call to any offensive play shown on film, he feels ready — but the chance he received to get his feet wet Sunday against the New Orleans Saints gave him another sense of belief.

“I think last game, it’s just continuing each time you play, you gain a little bit more confidence and a little bit more [of] knowing you can do it,” Bertrand said. “So, that’s what I gained from last week.”

Bertrand also banked more reps with Elliss, who’s played every defensive snap this season for the Falcons. Bertrand noted he has a strong off-field relationship with Elliss which leads to strong communication on it.

At middle linebacker, communication is critical. It’s particularly important Thursday, as Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s history with Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay spearheads an offense with shifts, motions and a chance to stress defensive communication.

But the Falcons believe Bertrand is more than capable of rising to the occasion, even on a short week.

“He’s such an adult and a mature young man,” Morris said. “He takes care of himself. He’s one of the guys you would say, if it was a rookie, you’d worry about him in a short week, but he’s just not like that. He takes care of his body. He’s always conscientious of what he needs to do.

“He’s always conscientious in his book and his study habits, the things that he does with his position coach, the things that he does with his coordinator. He’s been in the mix so much.”

From his habits and offseason performance to the film the Falcons watched when they drafted him, Bertrand has given Atlanta many reasons to believe. It doesn’t mean there’s nothing to fear, but rather the Falcons are confident in who Bertrand has proven to be.

“I’m not saying I don’t have any concerns with him, but I got very few or very limited that don’t really come to mind,” Morris said.

Bertrand prepared like a starter even during his time as Atlanta’s fourth-string linebacker, Morris said. He took plenty of reps with the first-team defense during camp, giving Morris a baseline to predict a strong outing from Bertrand on Thursday night.

“I got a feeling he’s going to go out there and play really well,” Morris said.

Lake agreed.

“Us as coaches, we’re expecting no drop-off,” Lake said. “We have a lot of confidence in JD.”

Now, Bertrand gets the opportunity to prove the Falcons right — in front of a national audience under the primetime lights. Toss in the allure of the Alpharetta, Ga., native making his first start in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Bertrand is under immense pressure.

But rather than feeling stressed, Bertrand has a different emotion — one that properly represents the Falcons’ internal feelings ahead of the first start any of their rookies have made this season.

“It’s definitely exciting,” Bertrand said. “I think probably leave it at that — it’s just an exciting time and I’m excited for whatever opportunity I do get going forward.”