Atlanta Falcons & Tampa Bay Buccaneers breathe life into TNF with overtime thriller

Thursday Night Football hasn't always been the highlight of the week for the NFL. If anything, the game has been more of one to nap through and wake up to see the final score. Even with legendary Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit in the broadcast booth, the product on the field hasn't always been must-see television. That was until last night.

An NFC South showdown between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons proved to be the right combination to bring life to a football night that was on life support. It took overtime to find a winner in this one, with the Atlanta Falcons coming out on top 36-30.

Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins had a night to remember, finishing with 509 yards passing and four touchdown passes, including the game-winning 45-yard touchdown pass to KhaDarel Hodge. Cousins' big night was good enough to pass Matt Ryan's single-game passing record for the franchise on a night that Ryan was inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor.

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The win put the Falcons in first place in the NFC South and finally gave Michaels reason to show emotion in the broadcast booth. If you were one of the fans who decided to go to bed at halftime like you usually do on Thursday night, this game was a great reminder of how special the night can be.

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This article was originally published on thebiglead.com as Atlanta Falcons & Tampa Bay Buccaneers breathe life into TNF with overtime thriller .