Buccaneers 48, Falcons 25: Recap & Highlights
The Atlanta Falcons aren't quite ready to beat the reigning Super Bowl champions.
The Falcons competed and made obvious improvements from Week 1, but fueled by two pick-6s in the fourth quarter, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulled away for a 48-25 victory.
The Falcons fall to 0-2 for the second straight season. Atlanta travels next Sunday to the New York Giants, who are also 0-2.
The Falcons trailed Tampa Bay by only a field goal entering the fourth, but Buccaneers defensive back Mike Edwards returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the final 15 minutes to turn a close game into a blowout.
Tampa Bay intercepted Matt Ryan three times in the second half.
Tom Brady, who improved to 9-0 against the Falcons in his career, threw five touchdowns. Brady has 22 touchdowns against just two interceptions all-time against the Falcons in the regular season.
CONTINUE READING: Kyle Pitts Prediction - from Falcons Legend Tony Gonzalez
The game appeared to be a blowout early. The Buccaneers had 100 yards of offense in the first five minutes and raced out to a 14-0 lead. The Falcons responded with touchdowns down by 14 in the second quarter and trailing 18 in the third quarter.
Fighting back against one the champs is what the Falcons must build on heading into a Week 3 matchup against a less-talented Giants roster.
Cordarrelle Patterson scored twice, including Atlanta's first touchdown of the season. Calvin Ridley also caught a touchdown.
Rookie Kyle Pitts had five catches and led the Falcons with 73 yards.
Despite three second-half interceptions, Ryan still looked better than in Week 1. He attempted more deep passes, and appeared comfortable throwing to new targets Patterson and Pitts.
Ryan finished 35 of 46 for 300 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
On the first pick-6, Ryan felt pressure and tried to turn a potential sack into a play downfield for Atlanta. A defensive lineman tipped the second pick-6.
The Falcons improved in other areas as well. Penalties and red zone offense -- two enormous issues in Week 1 -- weren't a problem Sunday.
Atlanta converted three of its four red zone possessions into touchdowns. The other red zone trip ended with a field goal at the end of the first half.
The Falcons still had some penalties along the offensive line, but overall, they ended the game with six penalties for 49 yards. In Week 1, the Falcons committed 12 fouls.
The Atlanta defense gave up five touchdown passes, but the unit also looked better than last week. The Falcons sacked Brady three times and recovered a fumble on a sack from Dante Fowler.
In the third quarter, there were three separate plays where Falcons defenders nearly came up with an interception or loose fumble. Football is a game of inches and those near-turnovers could have been huge.
There are no moral victories in the NFL. Yet, the Falcons should feel a lot better about themselves than they did last week.
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