Buccaneers Squander Division Lead With 16-13 Loss To Falcons

The Buccaneers now sit at 3-3 on the season.

With the top spot in the NFC South division on the line, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn't do enough to come away with a victory. Penalties and turnovers hurt the Bucs on offense and the defense had a difficult time stopping Atlanta's potent rushing attack. The Bucs now drop to second place in the division and are on a short week with a trip to Buffalo scheduled for Thursday. 

The Bucs received the ball to start the game after the Falcons deferred to the second half. The early going of the drive was encouraging as Baker Mayfield and the offense moved the chains three times including an 11-yard gain by Rachaad White on a third and 11. However the drive would fizzle out near mid-field after a gusty fourth and six call didn’t pan out turning the ball over on downs.

The Falcons took full advantage of the field position marching it down the shortened field with chunk gains of 19 and 18 yards. They capped off their eight play, three minute and 51 second drive with a two yard touchdown run by Desmond Ridder and an early seven to zero lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Devon Thompkins found a crease returning the ball 33-yards to give the Buccaneers good field position to start the drive. After a huge third down conversion which saw the Bucs employ their own version of the “tush push”, Mayfield hit Evans on a go-route for a 40-yard touchdown to bring the game to seven all.

The Bucs defense held the Falcons offense to just six yards on the next drive forcing a quick a three and out. Atlanta’s defense would return the favor forcing a punt of their own, aided by a holding penalty and the rare false start by every player but the center.

WATCH: Mike Evans Breaks Free for Deep Touchdown Catch Against Falcons

On the Falcons ensuing drive Scotty Miller hauled in a 45-yard bomb by Desmond Ridder to set Atlanta’s offense up at the Bucs 21-yard line. After allowing one third down conversion to set the Falcons up with a first and goal, Tampa Bay came up with a huge stop with Antoine Winfield Jr knocking the ball out of Drake London’s hands to force a field goal attempt. Younghoe Koo knocked it in from 25 yards to give the Falcons a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Aided by penalties and chunk plays of 16 and 13 yards by Godwin and Evans, the Bucs methodically moved the ball into the Falcons' territory. Later on the drive, Mayfield spun out of unblocked defenders "would be sack" to deliver a strike to White that gained 22-yards. The play set the Bucs up with a first and goal. However, the offense couldn't punch it in and settled for a 24-yard field goal to tie the game up at 10-10. 

The Falcons with the ball and a chance to go up ahead of halftime marched their way down the field into scoring position. On third and goal from the 11-yard line, Shaq Barrett and Calijah Kancey put the pressure on Ridder with Barrett coming up with a strip sack that was recovered by Jamel Dean to end Atlanta's drive and the first half. 

With the Falcons set to receive the ball to begin the second half the Bucs' defense made short work of their opening offensive possession, forcing a punt. Starting at their own 10-yard line the Buccaneers had a lot of field to go to get into scoring position.

The Bucs offense started making their way down the field with short passes and runs, including a 17-yard scamper by White that was called back due to a Trey Palmer holding penalty. On the next play, Devon Thompkins fumbled the ball which was recovered by the Falcons at the Bucs 27-yard line. 

Equipped with a short field, the Falcons offense made their way down to the one-yard line on a 13-yard catch and run by Drake London. The play was challenged by Todd Bowles that the runner had fumbled the ball out of the endzone but was upheld and ruled he was down by contact. On the next play, Ridder fumbled the snap and the Bucs Yaya Diaby recovered ending a promising scoring drive for Atlanta.

The Bucs wouldn't be able to capitalize on the turnover though. Backed up to their own endzone, the offense had little breathing room and was unable to convert on a third-and-one run by White. A Jake Camarda punt ensued with the Falcons taking over at their own 37-yard line. 

The Falcons offense once again made their way into Buccaneers territory. A 19-yard run by Ridder and 16 yards on the ground by Allgeier put Atlanta right outside of the Bucs redzone. Though Tampa Bay's defense would hold strong once again with a third down stop and the Falcons would settle for a field goal. Koo knocked in the 41-yarder to the visitors a 13-10 lead late in the third quarter. 

A 20-yard gain by White on the Bucs ensuing drive got the offense rolling early. Though penalties set the possession  back again putting them in a third and long situation. With plenty of time in the pocket Mayfield couldn't find an open receiver and took a sack to end the drive. 

After a booming punt, the Falcons started their drive at their own seven-yard line. A coverage breakdown on second down resulted in a 46-yard gain by Allgeier. Devin White came up to try and stop a Ridder scramble, but in doing so left Allgeier wide open behind him. It's hard to know if Ryan Neal was supposed to pick him up when White went up but it resulted in a game-changing play nonetheless. 

After that play, the Falcons gained 38 yards on the ground converting two third downs. However, they Bucs were bailed out again. What appeared to be a Ridder touchdown was reviewed and overturned as he fumbled the ball out of the endzone giving the Buccaneers the ball at their own 20-yard line. 

With just over five minutes remaining the Bucs offense had plenty of time to put together a scoring drive. After a 12-yard gain to Cade Otton, Mayfield hit Godwin for a 33-yard gain to set the Buccaneers up in Falcons territory. However, Mayfield threw an interception that ended the drive and hurt Bucs' chances of winning targeting a double-covered Otton. 

The Bucs came away with a huge three-and-out stop against the Falcons offense to get the ball back with two minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the game. On third-and-nine Mayfield took off for a 31-yard scramble running out of bounds to stop the clock with a minute and 57 seconds remaining. 

An eight-yard gain to Otton followed by a defensive pass interference call set the the Bucs up with a first down at the eight-yard line. However, they couldn't get the ball into the endzone and after a Mayfield sack on third down had to settle for a 36-yard field goal to tie the game at 13 a piece. 

The small victory would be short-lived as the Falcons with just 45 seconds left in the game, moved the ball down the field on the back of a 39-yard catch and run by Kyle Pitts. With four seconds left, Koo hit a 51-yard attempt through the uprights to give Atlanta the 16-13 win and first place in the NFC South.

You can follow JC Allen on Twitter @JCAllenNFL.

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