Buccaneers at Falcons, Week 5

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers misplaced in time beyond regulation to their NFC South rivals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 36-30. Each groups are actually tied atop the division with 3-2 data. Within the Thursday Evening Soccer shootout, Kirk Cousins managed to spike the ball with one second to spare for a Younghoe Koo 52-yard discipline objective that tied the sport on the finish of regulation. Atlanta received the ball first in time beyond regulation and KhaDarel Hodge scored from 45 yards out, offering the house crew with a 36-30 victory.

“Simply received to learn to shut out video games,” stated Head Coach Todd Bowles. “We had alternatives on either side of the ball. We did not end. Did some good issues. We did a whole lot of dangerous issues to lose the ball sport. So, we’ll get some relaxation, we’ll some guys wholesome, and we’ll prepare for subsequent week. We have a very good soccer crew. We did not end the sport.”

Tampa Bay’s offense began out firing on all cylinders, with three touchdowns and a discipline objective on the crew’s first 4 possessions. Baker Mayfield had one other stellar outing in Atlanta, throwing three landing passes to simply three incompletions within the first half. He threaded the needle and scrambled when vital to select up yardage to maintain drives. Total, Mayfield accomplished 19 of 24 makes an attempt for 180 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 137.5 passer score. He rallied the crew and threw two touchdowns to Mike Evans within the first half, offering the Bucs’ with a 17-14 lead.

Earlier than halftime, Mayfield related with Sterling Shepard, placing the ball out in entrance the place solely his receiver may haul within the catch. Evans’ second landing seize off a nook route marked his a centesimal profession landing. His 100 whole touchdowns make him the twenty sixth participant in league historical past to perform that feat. He tied Frank Gore in addition to Corridor of Famers Franco Harris and Curtis Martin (100) for the Twenty third-most whole touchdowns in NFL historical past.

The Bucs’ floor sport took strides in Atlanta, as Rachaad White posted 72 yards on 10 carries and Bucky Irving added 44 yards on 9 carries. White hit a career-long 56-yard run. Off a counter scheme, White took off with Tristan Wirfs and Cade Otton paving the way in which on drive blocks. He set the Bucs up on the Atlanta 15-yard line, resulting in Shepard’s landing.

“Not ideally suited for us,” stated Mayfield. “Get again to the fundamentals and simply execute. I believe that offensively, we’ll look again on the tape and notice that we did not precisely execute within the second half.”

Tampa Bay’s protection couldn’t cease Kirk Cousins and the Falcons’ offense, a unit that completed the TNF matchup with 550 whole yards. The veteran signal-caller accomplished 42 of 58 passes for 509 yards, 4 touchdowns and one interception. The Falcons’ weapons had been in a position to benefit from free entry off the road and Cousins usually discovered targets over the center of the sector with area to select up RAC-yards.

“It wasn’t excellent is all I can say,” famous Bowles’ of the protection’s tackling. “A whole lot of catch and run, five-yard catch and runs. We made these tackles in opposition to Detroit, [and] we missed them on this sport.”

Following a multi-sack day in opposition to the Eagles in Week 4, Lavonte David continued his dominance in Atlanta. He accrued eight tackles, two passes defensed and an interception within the fourth quarter. Within the final body, Yaya Diaby introduced stress on a twist, forcing the ball out of Cousins’ arms. David sat in the course of the sector in protection, learn the quarterback’s eyes, recognized and drove, undercutting the move for an interception on the Atlanta 35-yard line. He returned it seven yards to the 28, shifting the momentum to Tampa Bay. As well as, Logan Corridor recorded two sacks for the primary time in his profession and tallied 5 quarterback hits.

Vita Vea and Anthony Nelson each tallied sacks, whereas Zyon McCollum snagged two passes defensed. On Nelson’s knockdown, Jamel Dean had nice protection on Darnell Mooney down the sector, and didn’t take the chew off the Atlanta receiver’s double transfer. The sticky protection on the again finish pressured Cousins to carry onto the ball for a tick longer and Nelson capitalized with an eight-yard sack. Earlier than exiting the sport with a groin damage, Jordan Whitehead posted a move defensed, 5 tackles and a quarterback hit. Out of a double-A-gap-blitz look, Whitehead flew off the sting on a security blitz, taking Cousins unexpectedly. The Atlanta quarterback threw it away and was flagged for intentional grounding. Regardless of the splash performs, too many miscues sealed the crew’s destiny at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.