How Atlanta Falcons Pass Rush Reinforcements Helped vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Atlanta Falcons spent big in free agency this past offseason and reaped the rewards of it on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As the Atlanta Falcons are in the middle of preparations for Sunday's matchup with the Tennessee Titans, a lot can still be taken away from their 16-13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Obviously, the Falcons offensively will look to clean up on turnovers, as that's become a noticeable issue in recent weeks, which continued last Sunday. Then, defensively, the Falcons will hope to sustain the level of pass-rush that helped them defeat Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers offense. 

“You know, I feel like we had a good gameplan going in," Calais Campbell said about the Falcons' ability to pressure Mayfield after the game. "We knew this team was going to be scrappy and play really good football, and I feel like this was one of those days where like, you know, the ball just didn’t bounce our way. ... So it feels really good to get out of here with a win. A big part of it was our coaching [staff] gave us a great game plan. We executed at a high level, and we made the plays that we needed to."

Getting after the quarterback was a weakness of the Falcons in recent years, as they've ranked near the bottom of the league in sacks in the past two seasons. Those struggles to get the quarterback on the ground prompted general manager Terry Fontenot and the front office to see reinforcements through free agency this past offseason. 

Campbell was just one of those offseason signings, where defensive tackle David Onyemata and edge rusher Bud Dupree also joined him. All three helped the Falcons win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. 

Oct 22, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) is sacked by Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata (90) in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium.   / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Both Campbell and Onyemata combined for two sacks, four hurries, eight tackles, and one for a loss, while Dupree managed just a hurry, according to Pro Football Focus. 

While three sacks may not be anything to write home about, it was ultimately a sack that helped the Falcons get the win.

With Atlanta up 13-10 late in the fourth quarter and needing at most to hold the Buccaneers' offense to a field goal, Onyemata came up big with a third-and-goal sack that forced them to take three points. 

“Definitely got a lot of pressure," David Oneyamata said. "Baker (Mayfield) is hard to get down. ... So it takes a group effort, not only from the rushers, but from the coverage. So when we got him down at the end, it took a little minute, but that’s kudos to the coverage because he had to hold the ball and had nowhere to go. That allowed some guys to get through and go get him down.”

The Falcons defense will look to follow up their productive pass-rushing performance against the Titans on Sunday. Kickoff inside Nissan Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. (EST).