It happened again. It didn’t matter that he’s 37 years old, and it didn’t matter that he was only playing because of an injury to the Falcons’ actual starting quarterback. It didn’t matter that he’s effectively immobile at this stage of his career and came in with three touchdowns to three interceptions this season. Kirk Cousins, a longtime Bucs killer, did it to the Bucs again.

For a brief moment in the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s 29-28 loss to Atlanta at Raymond James Stadium, it seemed like Tampa Bay was finally going to exorcise its demons and take down Cousins. The Bucs led 28-14, and while Cousins was pretty much able to get whatever he wanted for long stretches of the game against Todd Bowles’ defense, penalties and just enough timely stops had the Falcons stuck at 14 points.

That is, until Cousins remembered that this was the Bucs he was playing against.

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins – Photo by: USA Today

Cousins led an eight-play, 65-yard drive in 3:57 to get the Falcons within 28-20 at the 9:37 mark. Then, he marched them down the field for a 10-play, 67-yard drive to get them within 28-26 at the 3:34 mark.

When Atlanta’s defense got the stop it needed by the two-minute warning and Cousins and his offense were back on the field only needing a field goal to win the game, it all felt inevitable.

Cousins was going to do it again.

First, he hit David Sills for a 17-yard gain. Then, even when backed up to a third-and-28 after a sack and a holding penalty, he hit Kyle Pitts for a 14-yard gain to bring up fourth-and-14. And on that fourth down, he found Sills again, this time for 21 yards to the Tampa Bay 36-yard line. One more 6-yard pass to Darnell Mooney later, Cousins had set Zane Gonzalez up for the game-winning 43-yard field goal.

Falcons 29, Bucs 28.

Kirk Cousins: 30-of-44, 373 yards, three touchdowns, one game-winning drive.

The Bucs And Kirk Cousins: A Haunted History

When you’re talking with friends, family, co-workers or whoever about this game and someone says they saw this coming, believe them. Because you know, deep down, that you saw it coming, too. Kirk Cousins against the Bucs, what could go wrong? Everything. Always.

This is a haunted history that began back on Oct. 25, 2015. You remember what happened that day, when Kirk Cousins led Washington back from down 24-0 to beat Tampa Bay, 31-30, sparking his famous “YOU LIKE THAT?!” line. That day, he was 33-of-40 for 317 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a rushing touchdown.

Former Washington QB Kirk Cousins – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs did get the better of him twice when he was with the Vikings, though he still went a combined 57-of-81 for 569 yards and three touchdowns to one interception in those games.

But like plenty of other horror stories, the Boogeyman always comes back around, even when you think you’ve taken him out for good and gotten him out of your life.

Cousins signed a massive contract with the Falcons ahead of the 2024 season, and while his time with Atlanta hasn’t gone according to plan even in the slightest, what he has done over three meetings with the Bucs is cement his legacy as their Boogeyman, their kryptonite, their whatever you want to call it.

First, it was a 42-of-58, 509-yard, four-touchdown night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium last October. The Falcons won that game 36-30 in overtime.

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins Photo by: USA Today

Then came a 31-26 Falcons win over the Bucs in Tampa later in the month. That day saw Cousins go 23-of-29 for 276 yards and four more touchdowns.

And then there was Thursday night. With the Falcons at 4-9 and eliminated from playoff contention, he still marched them into Raymond James Stadium and even without top receiver Drake London, dominated on his way to 373 yards and three touchdowns on 30-of-44 passing.

Over six career games against the Buccaneers, Cousins has four wins, a 73.4% completion percentage 2,044 yards, 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

What do you even say to that? Well, of all places, maybe look to baseball hall of famer Pedro Martinez for an answer.

After blowing a game against the Yankees back in the 2004 ALCS, Martinez famously said, “What can I say? Just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddies.”

Well, there’s an answer. After Thursday night, the Bucs might as well tip their hat and call Kirk Cousins their daddy.

It really happened again.