Buccaneers suffer embarrassing loss to Falcons to lose grip on NFC South

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are officially at DEFCON 1.

The Bucs had to win against the Atlanta Falcons to give themselves some more breathing room in the NFC South, but they failed to do so, dropping their Thursday Night Football game 29-28 after a last-minute drive by the Falcons. The loss makes their division hopes much worse, as it puts the NFC South in the hands of the Carolina Panthers.

Should the Panthers defeat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, they'll be able to outright win the NFC South at home in Week 16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As a result, the Buccaneers need to win their last two games against the Panthers to have a shot at winning the division and making the playoffs.

Here's how their rough game against the Falcons went down:

Buccaneers take lead in first quarter

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) hands the ball off to running back Bucky Irving | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers got the ball first and got to the 44, but they stalled out at midfield and were forced to punt. The Falcons got out of danger after that punt was downed at the two, making it all the way to their own 45 before punting it back to the Bucs.

The Buccaneers responded well, driving down the field and scoring a touchdown on a one-yard run from Sean Tucker to go up 7-0. The drive saw the first catches for Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan, who returned to the field following long absences.

The first quarter ended with the Falcons driving down the field in Tampa Bay's territory.

Falcons take the lead in the second quarter

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. celebrates with running back Bijan Robinson after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Falcons got to Tampa Bay's 13-yard line, and when they went to kick on 4th & 4, Zyon McCollum jumped offsides — that resulted in Atlanta getting a fresh set of downs, which they immediately converted to a touchdown via Kyle Pitts to make it 7-7.

The Bucs got to their own 36 before punting it back to the Falcons, who were marred by a massive amount of penalties that stalled their drive at midfield. The Bucs got the ball back with 6:29 left in the half, and they led a drive that stalled out at the 41 — Chase McLaughlin was able to kick a field goal, though, making it 10-7 with 2:04 to play.

The Falcons marched down the field with ease, finding Kyle Pitts twice for another touchdown of his to make it 14-10 Falcons with 0:38 seconds to go. The Bucs got the ball back and made it to the 34 before kicking a field goal to make it 14-13.

Buccaneers retake the lead in the third quarter

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) catches a thirty-three yard pass thrown by quarterback Baker Mayfield | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Falcons had a chance to extend their lead out of the half, but they couldn't, so they punted. The Bucs led a very long drive that resulted in even more penalties for the Falcons, and it ended with a six-yard touchdown pass to Devin Culp that put the Bucs up 20-14.

The Falcons looked to be leading a drive, but an intentional grounding penalty took them back 10 yards and forced them to punt back to the Bucs with 4:33 remaining in the third quarter. The Bucs made it to the 50, but a sack on Baker Mayfield was too much to overcome and they punted the ball away.

The Falcons had the ball and were driving when the third quarter ended.

Buccaneers choke it away in fourth quarter

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. (8) celebrates with teammates in the end zone after catching his second touchdown pass of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson fumbled the football after a catch and gave it back to the Bucs in plus territory to start the fourth quarter. The Bucs marched down the field and scored a touchdown via Chris Godwin, and he completed the Octopus with an extra two points on the conversion to get eight points, putting them up 28-14.

The Falcons scored on their next drive with a Bijan Robinson run inside the 10, but they went for two and didn't get it, narrowing the score to 28-20. The Bucs got the ball next, but Mayfield threw an interception, so the Falcons took over at their own 34. The Falcons marched all the way down the field and scored on a Kyle Pitts fade route, and the Falcons went for two again — they couldn't get it this time, either, so it stayed 28-26 with 3:34 to play.

The Bucs had to control the ball with time dwindling, but they had to punt with two minutes left in the game. The Falcons took the final drive and went all the way down the field, converting a crucial 4th & 14 to keep their drive going. The Falcons just had to hit their field goal to win, and they did, besting the Bucs 29-28.

The Buccaneers will have Sunday off before preparing to face the Panthers in Week 16.

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