The record was held by Falcons legend Matt Ryan (503 yards), who ironically was at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after being inducted into Atlanta's Ring of Honor on the same night. Cousins was 42-for-58 with 509 yards and four touchdowns, but wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge became the hero for the Falcons with a 45-yard touchdown to secure a walk-off overtime win.
"We’re starting to get there. There’s been continuous improvement each week," Cousins said on Amazon Prime after the win. "Started to kind of find something tonight and hopefully we can build off it moving forward."
Fellow receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney (2 TDs) also scored on the night, and both went for over 100 yards. Hodge, Ray-Ray McCloud, and tight end Kyle Pitts also had over 60 yards, as the Atlanta offense was locked in.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins surprised fans when signing a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons this offseason, ending his six-year stay with the Minnesota Vikings. However, his reasons have been validated after explaining how he observed the team and knew it would be the right decision.
"An important part of being a quarterback is always who else is around you, and not just the skills, but the offensive line and then the scheme," Cousins said to Sky Sports. "I've been fortunate my whole career to be able to feel like I'm not alone.
"I've got great players around me. I've got great coaches around me, and I think Atlanta will be no different. You know, Darnell Mooney, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, and an offensive line that's played together, has a lot of experience, and is well coached.
"So I'm excited to be able to go out there feeling like I'm just a distributor, and I've got great players around me." It was a gamble from Cousins seeing as the Vikings have one of the best receivers in the league, Justin Jefferson.
But the move has worked for all parties, as "Primetime Kirk" secured another big win for the Falcons over an NFC South divisional rival, and the Vikings are 4-0 with their new quarterback. Sam Darnold has finally found his groove after spending time as a backup in previous seasons and was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month.
Darnold was the third-overall pick in 2018, but failed to reach expectations at the New York Jets and was traded to the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2021 season. Two years later Darnold was back-up to Brock Purdy at the San Francisco 49ers and watched from the bench as the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII.
This year, Darnold has finally been given another chance the Vikings have benefitted from it. "At the end of the day, we believe in each other more than anyone else believes in us," Darnold said after moving to 4-0.
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