The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) fell to the Atlanta Falcons (5-3) 31-26 on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
Baker Mayfield and the Bucs offense received the ball first. Unfortunately, the Bucs turned the ball over after Rachaad White coughed up the football on his second carry of the game. Kirk Cousins and the Falcons faced an early fourth-down situation and converted on a 36-yard TD pass to Kyle Pitts with 12:52 left in the first quarter, giving the Falcons an early 7-0 advantage. Fortunately, the Bucs offense answered back with a score of their own as Baker Mayfield connected with Cade Otton on a 5-yard TD pass to tie up the score with 4:22 left in the opening quarter.
In the second quarter, the Baker Mayfield-led Buccaneers executed a 12-play, 97-yard drive as Mayfield threw the ball to Rachaad White for an 18-yard TD pass, giving the Bucs a 14-7 lead with 10:28 left in the first half. The Atlanta Falcons responded rather quickly as Kirk Cousins connected with TE Kyle Pitts on a 49-yard TD score, tying up the game at 14 with 7:19 left in the first half. Atlanta scored once again as Darnell Mooney caught a 30-yard TD pass from Cousins to give the Falcons a 21-14 lead with 2:09 left in the half. Chase McLaughlin notches a 52-yard FG with 1:04 left in the 2nd quarter, the Falcons still led the Bucs, 21-17. Younghoe Koo made a 39-yard field goal of his own, giving the Falcons a 24-17 lead.
The Atlanta Falcons offense cooled off a bit until late in the third quarter, when Kirk Cousins found Bijan Robinson on a 6-yard TD pass. The Falcons extend their lead to 31-17 over the Bucs with :14 seconds left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Falcons fumbled in their own endzone, and the Buccaneer defense capitalized and recorded the safety. Tampa Bay trailed 31-19 with 12:04 left in the game. Baker Mayfield led the Bucs down the field on their first second-half TD as Cade Otton scored again. The Bucs inched closer, trailing 31-26 in the fourth.
The Bucs came up short 31-26.
The Buccaneers now prepare to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, November 4 in Kansas City, Missouri. The kickoff time is 8:15 PM ET, and you can hear the game on 97.9 WXTB-FM - The Mighty 98 Rock.
PHOTO COURTESY: GETTY IMAGES