The Atlanta Falcons nearly pulled off another fourth-quarter miracle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but they came up just short and suffered their seventh loss of the season to their NFC South rivals.
The Buccaneers took a 29-25 lead with 31 seconds left, and despite a valiant effort to get within scoring range, Falcons wide receiver Drake London was tackled three yards shy of the end zone on the final play of the game
Here are 10 takeaways from Atlanta’s Week 14 loss to Tampa Bay.
1
Same old story on offense
Sunday’s game was mostly the same old story for the Falcons. The offense turned the ball over, gave up a safety, and failed to punch the ball into the end zone with a prime opportunity in the first quarter. Despite the garbage time yards, Arthur Smith’s play-calling in the first three quarters continues to leave fans scratching their heads. Desmond Ridder had the most Desmond Ridder game imaginable. He was careless with the football, fumbling twice (one recovered for a Bucs safety) and throwing an interception that was essentially a pick-six. Then, when you’re about to write him off, he’ll make some plays in the fourth quarter. This is why Ridder has become so divisive among the fans in Atlanta this season.
2
Defense struggles down the stretch
The Falcons defense was undermanned just like the offense, but they played well for much of the game. Rookie Clark Phillips III turned in a nice performance filling in for Jeff Okudah, however, Atlanta struggled up front without defensive lineman David Onyemata and inside linebacker Nate Landman. The team allowed 148 rushing yards and came up with just one sack. At the end of the game, the defense couldn’t get the stop it needed to secure the win. The Falcons have gotten several lucky breaks this season, but that luck ran out on Sunday.
3
London has 10 grabs, 172 receiving yards
It wasn’t all bad for the Falcons offense on Sunday. Wide receiver Drake London had a monster day and nearly came up with the game-winning touchdown on the final play. London finished with 10 catches for 172 receiving yards. Last week, London had only one catch for eight yards against the Jets, so it’s nice to see him bounce back with a career day. The second-year receiver has 56 catches for 745 yards and two touchdowns this season.
4
Injuries pile up
The Falcons entered the game with an undermanned offensive line. Both Drew Dalman and Kaleb McGary were ruled out, but Jake Matthews went down early in the game and Chris Lindstrom also exited the game in the first half. Lindstrom would return in the second half. Wide receiver Mack Hollins and defensive lineman Kentavius Street were also knocked out of Sunday’s game due to injuries.
5
Off day for Younghoe
Koo had a rare off day against the Bucs, missing two of his three field-goal attempts. The two missed kicks were costly, but considering how many times Koo has bailed out the Falcons offense this season, he gets a pass. Koo entered the game as the NFL’s most accurate kicker of all time, but even great players have bad days every now and then.
6
Dee Alford has nice day at punt returner
Nickel cornerback and punt returner Dee Alford provided some bright spots on Sunday. Alford’s 23-yard punt return put the Falcons in good field position and he found space when there looked like there wasn’t any. For the game, Alford finished with four punt returns for 57 total yards and one tackle.
7
NFC South Standings
| W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA | Home | Away | |
| Bucs | 6 | 7 | .462 | 262 | 270 | 3-3 | 3-4 | |
| Falcons | 6 | 7 | .462 | 251 | 269 | 4-3 | 2-4 | |
| Saints | 6 | 7 | .462 | 285 | 261 | 3-3 | 3-4 | |
| Panthers | 1 | 12 | .077 | 197 | 341 | 1-4 | 0-8 |
8
Arthur Smith postgame press conference
10
What's next for Atlanta?
The Falcons will hit the road in Week 15 for another NFC South matchup against the Carolina Panthers. In Week 14, the Panthers lost to the Saints to fall to 1-12 on the season. Atlanta has a great chance to bounce back and stay in the division race against Bryce Young a struggling Carolina team next weekend.
Falcons Twitter trashes Ridder, Smith after loss
