Kirk Cousins leads Falcons to 29-28 comeback victory over the reeling Buccaneers

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Maybe Kirk Cousins should've been starting the entire season.

Cousins threw three touchdown passes to Kyle Pitts Sr., and Zane Gonzalez kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to complete the Atlanta Falcons' rally for a 29-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.

Facing a third-and-28 on the Falcons' final drive, Cousins completed passes of 14 yards to Pitts and 20 yards on fourth-and-14 to David Sills V to set up Gonzalez.

The Falcons (5-9) overcame a franchise-record 19 penalties and a 28-14 fourth-quarter deficit to damage Tampa Bay's playoff hopes.

Cousins, who lost his starting job to Michael Penix Jr. last year after signing a free-agent deal that included $100 million guaranteed, has owned the Buccaneers since joining the Falcons last season. He's 3-0 against them with 1,158 yards passing, 11 TDs and one pick. He finished this one 30 of 44 for 373 yards.

“Pro Football tests you,” Cousins said. “It keeps me on my knees (in prayer). It’s been a difficult two years since tearing my Achilles. All I know to do is trust and keep going and walk by faith, not by sight, and that can be hard sometimes. Nights like tonight, you get a boost.”

Baker Mayfield threw a crucial interception in the fourth quarter as the Buccaneers (7-7) lost for the fifth time in six games to fall a half-game behind Carolina in the NFC South. The four-time defending division champions face the Panthers (7-6) twice in the final three games.

“This one is gonna haunt me. It falls on my shoulders,” Mayfield said. “It's not the defense's fault. It's my fault.”

Wearing their Creamsicle jerseys on the 48th anniversary of the franchise’s first win — that one came after an 0-26 start — the Buccaneers were booed off the field.

“You don’t make excuses," Bucs coach Todd Bowles said in an expletive-laden reaction. "You got to (bleeping) care enough where the (bleep) hurts. It’s got to (bleeping) mean something to you. It’s more than a job. It’s your (bleeping) livelihood. How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job? You can’t sugarcoat that (bleep).”

After Pitts made a leaping, acrobatic grab for a 7-yard TD with 3:34 remaining to pull the Falcons within 28-26, Cousins was pressured and threw incomplete on the 2-point conversion try.

The Falcons forced the Buccaneers to punt and got the ball at their 30 with no timeouts and 1:49 to go.

Haason Reddick sacked Cousins, forcing a fumble that the Buccaneers grabbed coming out of the pile. But officials ruled it was recovered by both team simultaneously, and the Falcons kept the ball.

Pitts finished with 11 catches for 166 yards, becoming the first tight end with 150 yards receiving and three TDs since Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe did it in 1996.

Mayfield tossed a 6-yard TD pass to Devin Culp, the second-year pro’s first scoring reception in the NFL that made it 20-14.

On the ensuing drive, Sills dropped what should have been a 44-yard TD catch and the Falcons ended up punting.

Bijan Robinson fumbled on Atlanta’s next possession after taking a shot from Christian Izien and Jacob Parrish recovered at the Falcons 25.

Mayfield fired a 3-yard TD pass to Chris Godwin Jr. and the two connected for the 2-point conversion to extend the lead to 28-14.

But Robinson’s 6-yard TD run cut the deficit to 28-20 with under 10 minutes left. After the Falcons missed the 2-point try, Dee Alford picked Mayfield’s pass and Atlanta drove 67 yards for a score.

Mayfield had all of his wide receivers available for the first time this season after six-time Pro Bowl pick Mike Evans and second-year pro Jalen McMillan were activated from injured reserve. Evans broke his clavicle on Oct. 20. McMillan broke three vertebrae in his neck in the preseason.

Evans made an immediate impact, catching six passes for 132 yards and drawing several penalties.

“He's one of the ones that cares,” Bowles said.

Pitts was wide open for his first two TD catches. He caught a 17-yard pass from Cousins to give the Falcons a 14-10 lead under one minute left in the first half.

Cousins tossed an 8-yard TD pass to Pitts to tie it at 7, one play after an offside penalty on cornerback Zyon McCollum during a field goal gave Atlanta a first down.

Cousins beat the Buccaneers twice last year in his first season with Atlanta. He threw for 785 yards, eight touchdowns and only one interception. He had 509 yards passing against them in one of the wins.

Tampa Bay's Chase McLaughlin connected on field goals of 52 and 49 yards. He’s 10 for 10 from 50 yards or beyond.

Falcons: WR Drake London (knee) was inactive. ... CB Mike Hughes (ankle) left in the first quarter.

Buccaneers: McCollum (hip) left in the first half. ... LG Ben Bredeson (knee) was out after being placed on injured reserve. ... DB Tykee Smith (neck/shoulder), LB SirVocea Dennis (hip), TE Cade Otton (knee) and CB Benjamin Morrison (hamstring) were inactive.

Falcons: Visit Arizona next Sunday.

Buccaneers: Visit Carolina next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) passes against Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) misses the catch Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. (24) during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. (8) leaps over Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Christian Izien (29) during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Christian Izien (29) hits Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. (8) celebrates his touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — A strike called by Portugal’s two main trade union confederations severely disrupted travel Thursday and forced the cancellation of many medical appointments and school classes. Government and municipal services, including trash collection, were also badly hit.

The two labor groups representing close to a million Portuguese workers say it could be the country’s biggest walkout in more than 10 years as they contest the center-right government’s planned changes to employment laws.

The unions say the changes strip workers of entitlements, while the government argues they are needed to make the economy more supple and spur growth.

The proposed changes include making it easier for companies to fire workers, denying the right to strike in additional sectors of the economy and limiting breastfeeding breaks for mothers to the first two years of a baby’s life from the current open-ended dispensation.

Downtown Lisbon was strikingly quiet, with few pedestrians and light traffic compared to a usual weekday in the capital as some people went on strike and others worked from home to avoid the transport disruption.

At Lisbon international airport, dozens of flights were canceled as pilots, flight attendants and baggage handlers walked out. The airport was open but largely deserted.

Flag carrier TAP Air Portugal operated only 63 of its 283 scheduled flights, in line with the minimum level of service required by law. The airline had previously warned passengers about the strike and offered to put them on other flights.

Train and bus services across Portugal also ran a skeleton service. The Lisbon Metro subway said services were suspended at 11 p.m. Wednesday and would resume only on Friday morning.

Private companies were also affected, with manufacturing and distribution companies reporting walkouts. Some Lisbon stores were closed.

It was the first time since 2013 that the umbrella groups — the General Workers’ Union and the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers — have joined forces.

The government’s Minister for the Cabinet, António Leitão Amaro, said the strike had little impact on the private sector. “Most Portuguese are at work,” he said.

But unions, which staged street marches in the afternoon, pronounced the strike a success.

“We are seeing workers demand that the government withdraw this labor (reform) package,” Tiago Oliveira, head of the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers, said. The strike "says a lot about the government’s attack and this is the response of the workers.”

Portugal has one of the European Union’s smallest economies and its workers are among the lowest paid in the 27-nation bloc. The average monthly wage is around 1,600 euros ($1,870) before tax, according to the National Statistics Institute. The minimum monthly wage earned by hundreds of thousands of workers is 870 euros ($1,018) before tax.

The Portuguese are also being pinched by a housing and cost of living crisis, as property prices soar and inflation sticks at just over 2%.

The European Commission expects Portugal to achieve GDP growth of around 2% this year, above the EU average of 1.4%. Unemployment stands at under 6%, roughly the EU average.

Social Democrat Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has described the strike as “senseless” because the country is doing well.

Helena Alves and Armando Franca in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed to this report.

People hold up their cellphones outside the parliament in Lisbon during a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Demonstrators gather outside the parliament during a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government, in Lisbon, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. The sign held by the woman reads in Portuguese: "Down with precarious living conditions." (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Demonstrators gather outside the parliament during a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government, in Lisbon, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Demonstrators gather outside the parliament during a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government, in Lisbon, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. The sentence on the billboard was amended to read "prison for whom robs the people" (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Demonstrators gather outside the parliament during a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government, in Lisbon, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Demonstrators use the light from their cell phones as they gather outside the parliament during a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government, in Lisbon, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

City buses are photographed in a parking lot, during a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government, in Oeiras, outside Lisbon, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

An employee walks alongside passenger trains parked at Campolide station, during a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government, in Lisbon, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Trucks sit idle at a garbage processing center in Lisbon at the start of a general strike on Wednesday night, Dec. 10, 2025, held to protest a new labor package announced by Portugal's center-right government. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

A screen shows departing flights, many cancelled, at Lisbon Airport, at the start of a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government, in Lisbon, early Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

A woman walks through a nearly deserted hall of the Lisbon airport at the start of a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government, in Lisbon, early Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

Striking workers block the entrance to warehouses of the Portuguese postal services company stopping trucks leaving, at the start of a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government, in Lisbon, Wednesday night, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

A police officer negotiates with striking workers blocking the movement of trucks at the gate to warehouses of the Portuguese postal services company, at the start of a general strike to protest against a new labour package announced by the centre-right government, in Lisbon, early Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)