Kirk Cousins joins the list of 500-yard passers in a single game

He’s still not driving the ball with his back leg the way he used to. On Thursday night, it didn’t matter.

Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, in his fifth game after returning from a torn Achilles that ended his 2023 season, set a career high and a franchise record with 509 passing yards in an improbable 36-30 overtime win over the Buccaneers.

It was only the 25th 500-yard passing game in NFL history, and by far the most anyone had thrown in a single game all season.

At 509, Cousins ties Vince Ferragamo (who threw for 509 yards on December 26, 1982) for 15th on the all-time, single-game list.

Cousins threw 58 passes on the night, completing 42 and adding four touchdowns against an interception that seemed to seal his team’s fate late in the fourth quarter.

And so, on the night the Falcons put Matt Ryan in the team’s Ring of Honor, his own single-game team record of 503 from his MVP season of 2016.