A strong defensive stand by the Bucs forced the Falcons to punt after a quick three-and-out, giving the ball back to the offense out of their own end zone.

Another long, methodical Buccaneers drive was highlighted by Cade Otton, who operates as the team’s primary receiving weapon. Otton had four receptions on the drive, including a fantastic catch and a 29-yard run on third-and-long to extend the drive from deep in his own territory. The 97-yard drive ended when Rachaad White caught a swing pass, which he took 18 yards to the house for Bucs’ second goal of the game.

With plenty of time left in the second quarter, Otton already had 6 receptions for 64 yards and a TD on “National Tight End Day.”

The Falcons answered quickly though, with Kirk Cousins ​​finding a wide open Kyle Pitts for a 49-yard touchdown pass. Pitts, unaware he was being followed from behind by Antoine Winfield Jr., got way too loose with the football as he crossed the goal line. Although Winfield cleared the ball, a review confirmed it happened less than an inch after the ball broke the plane of the goal line, ultimately confirming the TD that was called on the field.

It was a huge game for Pitts, who previously had a season-high receiving total against the Bucs in Week 5 when he had 88 yards receiving. On this day, Pitts generated 85 yards and 2 TDs before halftime.

The ensuing possession for Atlanta saw multiple players involved en route to a 30-yard TD strike from Kirk Cousins ​​to Darnell Mooney on a post route. The Falcons wide receiver blew by UDFA cornerback Tyrek Funderburk with relative ease on the play. Funderburk has been thrust into the role with Jamel Dean out of the lineup as he continues to recover from an injury he suffered two weeks ago.

With the first half nearly over, the Buccaneers were able to get into field goal range thanks to a big completion by Trey Palmer for 25 yards, which was his longest reception of the season. Chase McLaughlin nailed his 52-yard FG attempt to cut the deficit.

It was McLaughlin’s 15th FG of 50+ yards, tying him with Connor Barth for the most in Buccaneers history. It is a very impressive performance for a player who has only played 24 games with the team.

Despite having just over a minute left before halftime, Atlanta had no problem marching the ball down the court against Todd Bowles’ soft zone defense. It’s been a problem for the Bucs all season, but especially against Atlanta, and this unit was no exception. The team’s inability to generate any form of pressure on Cousins ​​allowed the Falcons quarterback to take his time and find open receivers.

The Falcons ended the first half with a 39-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo to match the Bucs’ earlier one.

The Falcons got the ball to start the third quarter and Todd Bowles’ defense finally got a stop as they held Atlanta to a 3-and-out.

With a chance to tie, the Bucs were making good progress thanks to Bucky Irving’s faster running. But after the young running back threw the ball back to Baker Mayfield on a flea-flicker, the ball was intercepted by Falcons star safety Jesse Bates. The pass was intended for Ryan Miller, who had two hands on the ball but lost the battle for possession in the air against the veteran DB.

The Bucs again were able to force Atlanta to punt, but not without a loss as Lavonte David was sidelined with an injury but was able to pull away on his own.

Tampa Bay’s offense stalled pretty quickly on the next series, and on 4th and short from their own end of the field, the Bucs lined up to punt, but tried to orchestrate a fake with a snap straight to defensive back Tavierre Thomas, who was easily tackled by the tape for a loss of yards.

It didn’t take long for Atlanta to capitalize, however Kirk Cousins ​​continued to get the better of Todd Bowles when he hit Bijan Robinson on a simple check down, which the Falcons stud had no problem walking into the end zone.

Before the 4th quarter, Kirk Cousins ​​just threw his fourth TD pass of the game with only six incompletions to show.

AJ Terrell single-handedly took the wind out of the Bucs’ sails on the next drive. Atlanta’s star cornerback made two monster tackles on consecutive plays before coming up with a diving interception of a Baker Mayfield pass that was intended for Jalen McMillan.

With Atlanta starting in their own end zone, the Bucs were able to secure a safety when Christian Izien forced a fumble that, despite many teams scrambling for possession of the loose ball, bounced into the back of the end zone.

With the clock running against them, Liam Coen’s offense switched to a quiet, uptempo approach that paid immediate dividends. A big Baker scramble on third down combined with another conversion on a 19-yard catch by Rakim Jarrett put the Bucs deep in Atlanta territory. Mayfield fired another laser to Cade Otton for his second TD of the game to close the gap.

As they made their way down the Bucs field, Kirk Cousins ​​was able to pick up two separate first downs with his legs. However, the Buccaneers were able to keep the Falcons out of the end zone, and Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo missed a field goal attempt, giving the Hawks some hope.

Mayfield and the Bucs took over at their own 28-yard line behind the four with just over a minute remaining. With precious seconds ticking away as the Bucs dunked and stuffed the ball downfield, Mayfield hit Rakim Jarrett on a 19-yard route to move the ball to Atlanta’s 33-yard line with 9 seconds left.

A false start penalty on Tristan Wirfs backed the Bucs up even further with just 6 seconds left on the clock at the 38-yard line, leaving time for one play.

Mayfield dropped back and threw the pot, and although Rakim Jarrett was able to catch the ball, it was well out of bounds. Game over.

When all was said and done, it was another deflating loss for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Although the offense struggled to put up 26 points without their best weapons, Todd Bowles and his defense made the team a hole that was just too deep to climb out of.

The Bucks fell short of .500 on the season (4-4), but lost to a division opponent for the second time, giving the Atlanta Falcons control of the NFC South with a winning record and multiple division wins. .

It won’t get any easier for the Bucs next week as they travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.

READ MORE: Keys To Cannon Fire: How Bucs Can Beat Falcons In Week 8

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