TAMPA, Fla. — The Atlanta Falcons are making progress in proving they’re no longer the “same old Falcons.”

Kirk Cousins delivered 276 yards through the air with four touchdown passes, powering Atlanta past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-26 on Sunday and putting them firmly in control of the NFC South.

Coach Raheem Morris, in his debut season with Atlanta, praised the win: “A division victory is always special. We talk about outrunning the South, and our guys have completely embraced that vision.”

Kyle Pitts hauled in scoring grabs of 36 and 49 yards, while Cousins also connected with Darnell Mooney for a 30-yard touchdown and Bijan Robinson for a 6-yard strike. With that, the Falcons (5-3) completed a season sweep over the three-time defending division champions, the Buccaneers (4-4).

Atlanta is now 4-0 within the division, essentially giving them a two-game cushion thanks to the head-to-head edge against Tampa Bay. Back on Oct. 3, the Falcons also beat the Bucs 36-30 in overtime, when Cousins threw for a career-best 509 yards and four TDs.

“This is the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve had this type of lead in the division this late,” said Pitts, Atlanta’s 2021 first-round pick. “It’s exciting to feel like a new team with a new direction. We’re just taking it one week at a time.”

Baker Mayfield passed for 330 yards and three touchdowns for Tampa Bay but was also intercepted twice. The Bucs had a last-minute chance, reaching the Falcons’ 33, but Mayfield’s Hail Mary heave from the 38 landed just out of bounds as Rakim Jarrett came down behind the end zone.

“It felt like a mosh pit back there. You let yourself believe for a second, but then you realize it didn’t happen,” Mayfield said. “Still, our fight to even get into that position says a lot.”

Mayfield, working with injured wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, threw two touchdowns to tight end Cade Otton — the last being a 4-yarder that closed the gap from 31-17 to just five points with under seven minutes to go.

Atlanta answered with a clock-draining drive, highlighted by Cousins’ 13-yard scramble and a fourth-down conversion. They held the ball until Younghoe Koo missed a 46-yard field goal try with 1:01 left.

Cousins kept perspective: “We know the importance of the division, but we’re not overanalyzing scenarios. Right now, the goal is to play our best football each week and see where it leads.”

For Tampa Bay, the absence of Godwin (out for the season) and Evans (expected to miss at least three games) means Mayfield will lean on a younger cast: Otton, Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, Rachaad White, and Bucky Irving.

White scored on an 18-yard reception but also lost an early fumble, setting up Pitts’ first touchdown. Mayfield, who leads the league with 21 touchdown passes, now has seven interceptions over the past three weeks after throwing only two through the first five.

The Bucs’ miscues continued with a failed fake punt in the third quarter, which directly set up Robinson’s touchdown and a 31-17 Atlanta lead.

Defensively, Jessie Bates III and A.J. Terrell Jr. picked off Mayfield. Atlanta has now taken four of its last five after beginning 1-2.

“There was more urgency this week — division games mean everything,” Bates said. “The mindset was to take it from them, and we did that.”

He added: “Winning the South puts you in the playoffs. This is just one more step closer. But the Saints and Panthers won’t roll over, so we’ve got more work to finish undefeated in the division.”

Throwbacks

Tampa Bay played in its classic Creamsicle uniforms and honored the 1979 squad that claimed the franchise’s first division crown.

Injuries

• Falcons: Safety Justin Simmons (hamstring) and LB Troy Andersen (knee) were inactive. DL Ruke Orhorhoro (ankle) exited in the third quarter and didn’t return. RG Chris Lindstrom (knee) also missed time in the fourth.
• Buccaneers: WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring) left in the second quarter but returned. LB Lavonte David (ankle) briefly left in the fourth before finishing the game.