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Jenna Laine, ESPN Workers Author
ATLANTA — With 1:52 to go and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinging to a 30-27 lead over the Atlanta Falcons in a prime-time NFC South showdown Thursday evening, Bucs inside linebacker Lavonte David intercepted quarterback Kirk Cousins on the Atlanta 35-yard line and jogged down the sideline to the top zone to have a good time with a number of teammates.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield stated he thought the Bucs had gained. So did left deal with Tristan Wirfs and cornerback Zyon McCollum.
“I did,” stated Mayfield, who afterward sat dejected, staring into his locker for a number of minutes. “We have got to discover ways to end.”
After the interception, the Bucs went three and out, permitting the Falcons to get the ball again. 9 performs later, Younghoe Koo drilled a 52-yard discipline purpose to pressure extra time. Cousins then hit KhaDarel Hodge on a hitch route with McCollum lacking a deal with on the 40-yard line, leading to a 45-yard landing and a 36-30 victory for Atlanta.
“There have been lots of feelings in that second,” McCollum stated. “I believed we had been going to win, thought we had been going to should make a play to go win the sport. … It was fairly loopy. It stings lots. … It is a laborious capsule to swallow. It’s important to face actuality and transfer on.”
Coach Todd Bowles lamented the ultimate play, explaining why Hodge was capable of break away for the successful rating.
“We had been in man,” Bowles stated of the Bucs’ protection. “That they had angles, and a man took off and made a play. He simply missed the ball, and he missed the deal with. … Guys weren’t the place they had been speculated to be as a result of we’re in man, not zone.”
The loss dropped the Bucs to 3-2 within the NFC South with a street sport in opposition to the New Orleans Saints up subsequent.
Wirfs was significantly upset as a result of he felt the Bucs had the win wrapped up and easily blew it.
“It sucks. I am pissed,” Wirfs stated. “I am not blissful about it. It was proper there. They gave it to us. They threw the Lavonte decide and stated, ‘Right here you go. You guys win.'”
Mayfield threw three touchdowns within the first half and was significantly profitable in opposition to the blitz. However within the second half, the Falcons took a much less aggressive method, sitting again into protection and making them work their means down the sector.
Operating again Rachaad White stated the Falcons began stunting with their go rushers and blitzing into the run to sluggish the Bucs down within the second half. After which Atlanta confirmed some distinctive appears to be like on the Bucs’ last offensive possession.
“I seen lots of totally different stuff I did not see [before], like two safeties simply down, it was two backers,” White stated, referring to Jessie Bates III, Justin Simmons, James Smith-Williams and Kaden Elliss all swarming him on the left aspect of the formation as he was popping out of the backfield for a 3-yard loss.
White blamed himself for not scoring on a 56-yard run within the second quarter that went all the best way all the way down to the Atlanta 15, though the drive ended with Mayfield discovering Sterling Shepard for a 4-yard landing.
“I acquired to attain that,” White stated. “I am trash for not scoring.”
Related emotions of remorse emanated from others within the locker room. Cousins routinely exploited the center of the sector and Bucs defenders struggled with tackling. Bowles stated Bucs defenders “weren’t the place we had been speculated to be.”
“Kirk does a superb job of wanting off zone protection defenders,” security Christian Izien stated. “I felt like we weren’t disciplined sufficient in our zone drops, understanding that he appears to be like off, so simply one thing we’ve to vary after we play them in a pair weeks.”
For Mayfield, it was a missed a deep shot to Shepard late within the first quarter that as an alternative compelled the Bucs to accept a 53-yard discipline purpose.
“All I care about is wins,” Mayfield stated. “That is it. So I’ve acquired to discover a approach to end that sport out on offense. I used to be fascinated with the primary half, lacking that shot to Shep. … I am simply replaying that one over in my head, that possibly it should not have even been an extra time scenario. I’ve to make the performs after they’re there. Then within the second half, simply acquired to deal with the soccer, and acquired to complete on offense.”
The 2 groups get a rematch in Tampa on Oct. 27. Many pegged the Falcons to win the division heading into the season, and so they have already got a 26-24 victory over the Saints from final week.
“We knew they’d gamers,” Bowles stated. “We knew they’d a superb soccer group. We knew we had been coming in right here for a tricky ball sport. It is a division sport. We had our possibilities. It did not work.”
