A streak against Atlanta continues.
– The Bucs fell to the Falcons, 16-13, losing a share of first place in the NFC South for just the second time in the last 40 weeks. Including last year’s Week 18 matchup, the Bucs have lost consecutive meetings against the Falcons after winning the previous five matchups dating back to Week 15 of the 2020 season. Today’s loss marked the first time the Bucs have lost consecutive games against the Falcons since Weeks 6 and 17 of the 2018 season. In the all-time series, Tampa Bay and Atlanta are 30-30 against each other.
– Tampa Bay’s 16 points allowed mark their second-fewest yielded in a game this season. On the year, the Bucs have allowed 104 points, tied for fifth fewest in the NFL and are allowing an average of 17.3 points per game, seventh fewest in the NFL. Tampa Bay’s 17.3 points allowed per game is the team’s lowest average across the first seven weeks of a season since 2008 when they yielded 15.3 points per game in Weeks 1-7.
– The Bucs held the Falcons to 4.1 yards per carry across 38 carries on the day. It marked Atlanta’s fewest yards per carry in a game in which they recorded 38-or-more carries since Week 15 of the 2012 season against the N.Y. Giants. This season, the Bucs have limited opponents to 575 rushing yards, eighth fewest in the NFL. Their 3.8 yards per carry allowed are 11th-fewest this season.
– Tampa Bay held the Falcons to 1-of-5 on redzone opportunities, improving their league-leading defensive redzone efficiency to 22.2%. The Bucs have held opponents to just two touchdowns in their last 14 red zone appearances, dating back to Week 3 vs. Philadelphia. Similarly, Tampa Bay held Atlanta to 1-of-5 on goal-to-go situations, improving their defensive goal-to-go efficiency to 40%, which is the third-lowest mark in the NFL this season.
– QB Baker Mayfield completed 27-of-42 passes (64.3%) for 275 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a passer rating of 81.0. He added three carries for 32 yards – including a 31-yard rush in the fourth quarter, which was the second-longest carry of his career behind a 35-yard rush in 2018 when he was a rookie.
– WR Mike Evans finished with a season-high-tying six receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown. With his 82 yards today, Evans has 10,893 career receiving yards and moved past Gary Clark and Roddy White for the 40th-most receiving yards in NFL history. Evans’ touchdown catch was his fourth of the season and the 85th of his career, tying him with Lance Alworth, Hines Ward and Paul Warfield for the 18th-most touchdown receptions in NFL history. Evans’ four touchdown receptions this season are tied for sixth most in the NFL.
– Evans’ touchdown came on a 40-yard strike from Baker Mayfield, marking Tampa Bay’s longest scoring play of the season. It was Evans’ 15th touchdown catch of 40-or-more yards since he entered the league in 2014, tied for fifth-most in the NFL over that span.
– WR Chris Godwin logged six receptions for 66 yards. It was the 13th time in his last 14 games that he has had five-or-more receptions and 50-or-more receiving yards.
– RB Rachaad White totaled 99 yards from scrimmage, recording 34 rushing yards across 13 carries and a career-high 65 receiving yards across a season-high six receptions. His 99 scrimmage yards are his fourth-most in a game in his career and his second-most in a game this season.
– TE Cade Otton brought in five receptions for a season-high 43 yards. His five receptions were one off of his career high, while his 43 yards were tied for the third-most in a game in his career.
– Tampa Bay became the 10th team this season to record a game in which three different players brought in six-or-more receptions
– LB Lavonte David finished with a team-leading 13 tackles (one for loss) and one pass defensed. David has led the Bucs in tackles in three of Tampa Bay’s six games this season. With his tackle for loss today, David has 149 career tackles for loss, tied for second-most among active players since he entered the league in 2012 – he trails only L.A. Rams’ Aaron Donald (168).
– S Antoine Winfield Jr. recorded seven tackles, one pass defensed and one forced fumble. His forced fumble came when he punched the ball out of Falcons QB Desmond Ridder’s hand at the 1-yard line, resulting in a touchback after the ball bounced through the end zone. It was Winfield’s third forced fumble of the season, which established a new career high and is tied for most in the NFL this season. Since entering the NFL in 2020, Winfield has eight career forced fumbles, tied for second most among defensive backs over that span.
– OLB Shaq Barrett recorded a strip-sack of Desmond Ridder, part of a day in which he tallied seven tackles, 1.0 sack, one forced fumble and one pass defensed. It was Barrett’s 13th strip sack since joining the Bucs in 2019, most in the NFL over that span. His 13 forced fumbles overall since 2019 are tied for third-most in the NFL.
– Barrett improved his sack total with Tampa Bay to 42.5, good for 11th-most in the NFL dating back to 2019 when he became a Buccaneer. He ranks fifth in franchise history in career sack total.
– DL Calijah Kancey finished with one tackle and one quarterback hit. Since quarterback hit data became available in 2006, Kancey is just the second Bucs rookie to record a quarterback hit in the first three games of his career, joining Antoine Winfield Jr. who accomplished the feat in Weeks 1-3 of the 2020 season. Kancey is just the fourth rookie to accomplish the feat this season, joining L.A. Rams’ Byron Young, Houston’s Will Anderson and Minnesota’s Ivan Pace.
– OLB Yaya Diaby recorded his first career fumble recovery.
– K Chase McLaughlin went 2-for-2 on field goal tries, connecting on attempts from 24 and 36 yards out. McLaughlin’s 36-yard attempt was a game-tying kick with 45 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. On the season, McLaughlin is 11-for-12 on field goal attempts.
– P Jake Camarda punted three times for 144 yards (48.0 avg.), including a long punt of 52 and one punt downed at Atlanta’s 7-yard line. This season, Camarda leads all punters with a 52.9 gross average, while his 43.7 net average ranks fifth among punters with at least 25 punts this season.