The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Atlanta Falcons 31-26 and dropped to a 4-4 record. After their overtime win in Week Five, the Falcons completed a season sweep and improved to 5-3, taking first place in the NFC South hunt. Tampa Bay moved the ball efficiently and converted nine of its 14 third-down attempts. Despite key performances by tight end Cade Otton and receiver Rakim Jarrett in the absence of injured Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, missed opportunities and three turnovers sealed the Bucs fate inside Raymond James Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Falcons' Younghoe Koo missed a 46-yard field goal attempt, which provided the Bucs with one final chance to win it with a minute left in regulation. In the final six seconds, a failed Hail Mary attempt from the Atlanta 33 snapped the Bucs' comeback bid in Week Eight.
"It's frustrating because we're making mistakes and beating ourselves," stated Head Coach Todd Bowles. "That's the problem we have got to get cleaned up. We can't play ourselves and the opponent. Whether it's the tough ones, the easy ones, no matter who we play the next two weeks, we've got to play better in order for us to win."
Offensive Outlook
In Week Eight, Baker Mayfield completed 37 of 50 passes for 330 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Otton became the primary beneficiary, following up his 100-yard game against the Ravens with a career-high nine receptions for 81 receiving yards and a career-high-tying two touchdown receptions. It marked the second time in Otton's career that he brought in multiple receiving touchdowns, joining Week Nine of the 2023 season at Houston. Otton's performance against Atlanta on National Tight Ends Day marked the seventh game in club history in which a tight end finished with 80-plus receiving yards and multiple touchdowns. In an offense that had relied on Chris Godwin to pick up YAC yardage and Mike Evans as the deep threat downfield, Otton made his presence felt.
Otton's first touchdown on a choice route tied the game at seven, capping off a 15-play, 70-yard drive. He separated from coverage and initially broke to the outside, then crossed underneath and Mayfield delivered a bullet to No. 88. Sterling Shepard ran into the zone defender, providing Otton with a favorable one-on-one matchup for the score. In the second quarter, Otton became the catalyst that set up Rachaad White's 18-yard touchdown on a swing pass out of 12 personnel. From third-and-eight, Otton went in motion and settled in the bunch formation to the left side. He took an outside release and Richie Grant missed the tackle. Otton then hurdled over Jessie Bates III for a 29-yard gain. Just before the White scoring play, Otton once again picked up the first down, this time on a corner route out of the slot that gained nine yards. His second touchdown came in the fourth quarter, trimming the team's deficit to 31-26 after Mayfield delivered a tight window throw to Jarrett for a gain of 19 yards.
The Buccaneers' collective approach in the backfield continued to excel. Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker combined for 166 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Irving spearheaded the unit with 84 yards from scrimmage and White scored on an 18-yard pass in the second quarter that gave the Bucs a 14-7 lead. The Buccaneers averaged 4.6 yards per carry and Irving helped spur Otton's first touchdown. Following Mayfield's quarterback sneak on fourth-and-one, Irving juked two defenders on a counter play, getting downhill for a 15-yard gain. Out of the pistol, Irving took the handoff and tackle Tristan Wirfs helped pave the way as a puller. Several plays later, Irving's cutback off an inside zone run brought the team to first-and-goal.
Defensive Snapshot
The Falcons' offense generated 394 yards of offense as Kirk Cousins threw four touchdown passes and no interceptions. A botched-snap exchange in the fourth quarter led to a safety as the ball rolled out of bounds in the end zone. Atlanta scored following White's touchdown in the second quarter to make it a 14-14 game. It appeared Antoine Winfield Jr. knocked the ball out of Kyle Pitts' hand at the goal line but without a proper camera angle of the line, the original touchdown signal stood. In the third quarter, a fake punt attempt failed, which set the Falcons up with their best field position of the day at the Bucs' 36-yard line. The Falcons cashed in as Cousins threw his fourth touchdown pass to Bijan Robinson in the flat on a checkdown.
Defensive lineman C.J. Brewer recorded the first two sacks of his career. After a Mayfield interception off a flea flicker attempt, Brewer got vertical penetration and exploited the Falcons' front. He also had a crucial third-and-one stop of Tyler Allgeier on Atlanta's final offensive possession, but the Falcons were able to sustain the drive after Cousins successfully got the first down on a QB sneak from fourth-and-one. Inside linebacker K.J. Britt led the Bucs in tackles with 10 and slot corner Christian Izien notched two tackles for loss, joining Brewer.
