The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to 7-7 with an ugly loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football. Tampa Bay has now dropped five of its last six games, including back-to-back losses to division rivals. And the Buccaneers’ playoff odds took a tumble after the team’s prime-time collapse.
Despite a 14-point fourth quarter lead, the Bucs couldn’t hold off the Falcons. Kirk Cousins led three scoring drives in the final quarter and set Zane Gonzalez up for the game-winning kick as time expired. Atlanta’s win is all the more impressive considering the team overcame 19 penalties on Thursday night.
The Falcons became the 12th team in the Super Bowl era to draw 19 flags in a game, according to NFL reporter Jay Morrison. And they’re just the fourth team to win a game after committing that many penalties. Incredibly, the Buccaneers were also the last team to lose when an opponent had 19 or more penalties.
The Falcons storm past the Buccaneers on TNF
Tampa Bay now owns two of only four losses in the Super Bowl era when the refs handed out 19 penalties to an opponent. The last time it happened was in Week 8 of 2016 when the Raiders racked up an NFL-record 23 penalties. And the Buccaneers lost the game 30-24.
On Thursday night, Tampa Bay failed to pull away from Atlanta. Despite already being eliminated from the playoffs, the Falcons continued to fight. Cousins went off for 373 yards and three touchdowns. And Kyle Pitts had a monster game, with 11 receptions for 166 yards and three scores.
The Buccaneers still control their own destiny. If they can beat the Carolina Panthers twice in the next three weeks they’ll win the division and make the playoffs. But there’s little confidence in Tampa Bay after the team’s recent performance.
A furious Todd Bowles blamed his players for the brutal 29-28 defeat. And Baker Mayfield attempted to take all the blame for the collapse when speaking to reporters after the TNF disaster.
The Bucs head to Carolina in Week 16 to face the Panthers in the first of two must-win divisional showdowns. Fans can only hope the mini bye gives the team time to iron out its issues.
