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Falcons Takeoff: Facts, stats, quotes from Week 8 win against Buccaneers

Your one-stop shop for an overall statistical and factual look at the Falcons-Buccaneers game in Week 8.

For the 2024 NFL season, digital team reporter Terrin Waack will provide select stellar stats, obscure facts and notable quotes from the most recent game to show how the Atlanta Falcons are taking flight into the new week.

TAMPA, Fla. — The Atlanta Falcons (5-3) won, 31-26, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) last Sunday in their Week 8 rematch at Raymond James Stadium in front of 62,787 ticketed fans.

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STELLAR STATS

— Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has thrown eight touchdown passes through eight quarters and an overtime drive against the Buccaneers this season. That all happened this month, too. No quarterback has ever had more touchdown throws in a month versus a single opponent in NFL history. Cousins tossed four touchdowns in each victory against Tampa, making him one of just four NFL quarterbacks to throw for four or more touchdowns in multiple games this year.

— Three of Cousins' touchdown passes went for at least 30 yards — 30, 36 and 49 yards, to be exact – which marked the first time in his 13-year career he has accomplished such a feat. It also marked the first time a Falcons quarterback threw three touchdown passes in a first half since Matt Ryan did so in a Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. Ryan's touchdown passes went for 3, 22 and 42 yards.

— Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is now at 1,522 rushing yards in his career, making him the second-fastest Atlanta player to reach 1,500 total. Robinson is at 25 games overall. Former Falcons running back Williams Andrews broke 1,500 – finishing with 1,585 exactly – in his first 23 games from 1979-80.

— KhaDarel Hodge came up with yet another clutch special teams play for the Falcons. In the third quarter, he sniffed out a fake punt, making his first career tackle for loss as Tavierre Thomas tried to run the ball instead. Remember, Hodge also recovered the muffed punt-turned-touchdown in the Falcons' Week 4 win against the New Orleans Saints.

OBSCURE FACTS

— The Falcons are 4-0 in the NFC South for the first time since 2014. They finished 6-10 overall that season and missed winning the NFC South by one game, despite a 5-1 division record.

— On National Tight Ends Day, it was fitting that only tight ends made more than one trip into the end zone. Both Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts and Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton had two receiving touchdowns. Anyone else who broke the scoring plane only did so once.

— Robinson had a rushing touchdown negated on Sunday, his second of the season. Against the Buccaneers, he broke free off the right side for a 36-yard score in the third quarter. A holding call on wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III negated the play, though. In the Falcons' win against the Saints, Robinson had a 19-yard touchdown reception nullified because left tackle Jake Matthews was called for holding.

— Sunday marked the first time since 2021 the Buccaneers were without wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in the same game. Both were hurt in Tampa Bay's Week 7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Evans, a five-time Pro Bowler for Tampa Bay since he was drafted in 2014, was inactive due to a hamstring injury. Godwin, who joined the team in 2017 and is a Pro Bowler as well, is on injured reserve because of an ankle dislocation.

QUOTING RAHEEM MORRIS

On quarterback Kirk Cousins' long scramble of 13 yards in the fourth quarter…

"I'm throwing a pool party. I'm really excited. When you butt heads in the offseason, it's protecting our team; it's protecting our assets; it's protecting everything that we want to have for these moments. Once you get into the game and we clear guys to go out there and be as healthy as they can possibly be, we are absolutely ecstatic for those guys to be able to move the chains the way (Cousins did). He looked like Patrick Mahomes out there, man. It was outstanding."

QUOTING THE FALCONS

Quarterback Kirk Cousins

On dancing to the music playing in the postgame locker room…

"We're enjoying winning. We had the music playing, and I was just going to soak in that for a minute and was kind of celebrating with the guys. It wasn't the 'Swag Surf.' It was about going on the road, going into someone's trap and trying to take over their trap."

Tight end Kyle Pitts

On how he has been able to be bigger, faster and stronger this season…

"Eating my beanies and weanies."

QUOTING THE OPPONENT

Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield

On the two passes intercepted by Falcons safety Jessie Bates III in the third quarter and cornerback A.J. Terrell in the fourth quarter…

"(The) flea flicker, I think honestly Bates made a hell of a play. It looked like (wide receiver) Ryan Miller almost had it in his hands; it looked like Bates kind of stole it. That's the type of player he is, though. And then, the one down in the red zone, A.J Terrell just truly falling off of his man in a match coverage set. Obviously, you look at it, he's not supposed to do that, but he made a hell of a play. That's one of those things that I really don't have much (to say) besides he made a hell of a play."

GAME LEADERS

Top 3 rushers

  1. Falcons: Bijan Robinson | 13 carries for 63 yards
  2. Buccaneers: Bucky Irving | nine carries for 44 yards
  3. Falcons: Tyler Allgeier | 12 carries for 22 yards

Top 3 receivers

  1. Falcons: Darnell Mooney | five receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown
  2. Falcons: Kyle Pitts | four receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns
  3. Buccaneers: Cade Otton | nine receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns

Top 3 passers

  1. Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield | 37-50 for 330 yards and three touchdowns (intercepted twice)
  2. Falcons: Kirk Cousins 23-29 for 276 yards and four touchdowns (sacked twice)
  3. N/A

Top 3 tacklers

  1. Falcons: Kaden Elliss | 11 total tackles, seven solo
  2. Buccaneers: K.J. Britt | 10 total tackles, three solo
  3. Buccaneers: Christian Izien | nine total tackles, seven solo

NEXT UP

The Falcons (5-3) return home to host the Cowboys (3-4) inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Week 9 kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. All action will air live on FOX.

The Cowboys are coming off a 30-24 road loss in Week 8 to the San Francisco 49ers.

Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium during Week 8, presented by Grady.

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