The Bucs did not punt the ball once and scored on every meaningful possession but one in their 44-27 win over the Falcons, and yet still found themselves in a tight game when the fourth quarter arrived. The Bucs eventually ran away with it, but there were some mistakes and bad penalties that put what should have been a comfortable win in doubt until the final five minutes.
Here were the most disappointing players in the game.
CB Ross Cockrell
Cockrell has been an important addition to the Bucs’ secondary this season, but a bad penalty by him hurt the Bucs in the first half. Cockrell was flagged for roughing the passer with 5:45 minutes remaining in the second quarter, which led to Atlanta’s first touchdown of the game. He came up near Matt Ryan’s head with the hit, which is why the call was made. As a veteran in the game, he has to know not to do that. Cockrell was also responsible for allowing an important third down reception to Russell Gage Jr. on another Atlanta scoring drive, as the Falcons receiver finished with nine catches for 91 yards. Cockrell had just two tackles in the game.
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