The Buccaneers led the Falcons by three points late in the fourth quarter on Thursday night and they had a chance to end the game after linebacker Lavonte David picked Kirk Cousins off in Atlanta territory.
It didn’t happen. The Bucs lost yardage before punting and the defense couldn’t stop the Falcons from driving for a game-tying field goal. The Falcons then got the kickoff to start overtime and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge won the game with a 45-yard touchdown after a missed tackle by cornerback Zyon McCollum.
The lamentable plays in the loss started before the final minutes. Running back Bucky Irving lost a fumble, the defense allowed Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins to throw for 509 yards and head coach Todd Bowles said after the game that they “can’t play the Bucs and the Falcons” at the same time. Bowles added that “we just have to close out games” and quarterback Baker Mayfield agreed with that sentiment.
“All I care about is wins,” Mayfield said, via the team’s website. “We’ve got to find a way to finish that game out on offense. We have to make the plays when they’re there. In the second half, we’ve got to take care of the football and we’ve got to finish on offense.”
The Bucs didn’t finish on Thursday and they’ll now have to make sure that it’s not the start of a slide that leads to them missing the playoffs.
