The Atlanta Falcons ripped the hearts out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night, and nothing conveyed those difficult emotions more than Baker Mayfield’s reaction.
The Falcons and Bucs played a spectacular game in which no team led by more than seven points at any time in the contest. The Bucs went into halftime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. leading 24-17 and also held a 27-20 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. But the Falcons came back and kicked a field goal as time expired in regulation to send the game to overtime.
Then on the fourth play of Atlanta’s first possession of OT, Kirk Cousins found KhaDarel Hodge for a short pass, and Hodge took it all the way to the house for a 45-yard touchdown to win the game 36-30. Mayfield never got a chance to touch the ball in OT and couldn’t believe it.
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) October 4, 2024
Here is the full play:
KHADAREL HODGE CALLED GAME#TNFonPrime | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/vtKobQt7gc
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 4, 2024
Mayfield had a great night and went 19/24 for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also rushed for 42 yards. But he couldn’t keep up with Cousins, who passed for an absurd 509 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Both teams are 3-2, but Atlanta holds the tiebreaker for first place in the NFC South.
