In the Week Five clash against the Atlanta Falcons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated their NFC South rival, earning first place in the division.
In the first half, the Buccaneers held a 297-89 points advantage over the Falcons. Tampa Bay drew the first blood on a one-yard Leonard Fournette touchdown run, providing a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. Tom Brady finished the first half completing 24-of-33 attempts, marking a new career-high (attempts). Chris Godwin and Cade Otton became Brady's go-to targets over the middle of the field and Leonard Fournette stressed Atlanta's defense horizontally in a domineering screen game. Tampa Bay accumulated 17 first downs through two frames and the Buccaneers' defense held Arthur Smith's offense in check. After a missed field goal attempt by Younghoe Koo, the Falcons entered halftime scoreless – their first time not allowing any first-half points since December 26, 2020, at Detroit. A Ryan Succop 44-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, gave the Bucs' a 13-0 lead before the intermission.
The trend continued in the second half. The Bucs' defense continued to harass Mariota on third down as Todd Bowles unleashed pass rushers – culminating in a five-sack performance. Tampa Bay extended their lead in the third off a one-yard pass/catch from Brady to Fournette. An ensuing two-point conversion attempt gave the Bucs a 21-0 advantage. The Falcons answered with their first score of the game, as Avery Williams' 8-yard touchdown trimmed the deficit, 21-7 inside Raymond James Stadium. In the Falcons' late comeback bid, Olamide Zaccheaus scored, and Atlanta went for two to make it a one-score game, 21-15. Although Tampa Bay's defense allowed 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers' dominant start was too much for the Falcons to overcome. Tampa Bay improves to 3-2 and stay atop the division hierarchy.
