The last time Atlanta and Tampa Bay met was earlier this season, when a masterful offensive play led to a dramatic overtime victory for the Falcons. Sunday’s rematch in Tampa came down to the final play, with Atlanta once again taking the lead with a 31-26 victory.
Kirk Cousins had another great game against the Bucs, throwing four touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Falcons’ defense nearly shut down Tampa Bay in the second half, intercepting Baker Mayfield twice on three series in the second half. But Atlanta’s key fumble and subsequent missed field goal in the fourth quarter gave Mayfield a chance to win, coming within yards of a Hail Mary pass.
This match was rich with storylines with division reign at stake. The NFC South teams are currently split into haves (Falcons, Bucks) and have-nots (Saints, Panthers), making this game (the last rift between the two teams in the regular season) of special importance. It means.
Kirk Cousins battled through Tampa Bay’s defense and scored four touchdowns. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Tampa Bay also suffers the significant loss of its two most potent offensive weapons in wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Evans plays week-to-week, while Godwin finishes the job year-round. That means the Bucks will need to make adjustments to the all-out attack that carried them through the first half of the season. Mayfield entered the game with a league-leading 18 touchdown passes, 11 of which went to either Evans or Godwin.
The game started off on a bad note for the Bucs, as Rathard White committed a fumble two plays in, which Atlanta converted for its first touchdown of the game. But Mayfield quickly adapted to the absence of his two big receivers — if briefly — and combined a strong rushing attack with smart passing. Tight end Cade Otton caught Mayfield’s first touchdown pass and White caught his second, giving Tampa Bay a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Atlanta tight end Kyle Pitts caught his second touchdown pass of the day shortly after. However, the play almost ended in disaster when Pitts eased up at the end of the run and Antwone Winfield Jr. punched the spilled ball to send Pitts over the goal line.
The play was made, tying the score at 14, and five minutes later Cousins converted a 30-yard touchdown reception from Darnell Mooney. Both teams traded field goals late in the first half, making the score 24-17 Atlanta at halftime.
Both offenses settled down early in the second half. While Mayfield struggled, throwing two interceptions, Bijan Robinson extended Atlanta’s lead to 31-17 with a nifty touchdown run. However, Atlanta is unable to take advantage of either, which ends up hurting the Falcons.
A botched exchange between Cousins and Tyler Allgaier bounced into Atlanta’s end zone, resulting in a safety out. On the next possession, Mayfield led the Bucs on a spectacular 12-play, 73-yard touchdown drive to pull within five at the 31-point mark. -26 with just under 7 minutes left in the game.
Cousins produced a methodical drive, finishing with a 13-yard run. This was his longest run of the season, 12 yards. Cousins then converted on a key 4th-and-1 QB sneak to keep the drive alive. However, Younghoe Koo missed a 41-yard field goal that would have extended Atlanta’s lead to eight points.
Mayfield took over at his own 36 with no timeouts, making it a five-point lead. The Bucs got as far as the Atlanta 33, but the Hail Mary attempt went out of the end zone.
Cousins was 23-of-29 for 276 yards and four touchdowns, while Mayfield threw for 330 yards on 50 attempts. His three touchdowns were offset by two interceptions. Atlanta is currently firmly in control of the NFC South, but the Bucks have work to do to catch up again.
