The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a 28-14 lead with 13 minutes to play and suffered a painful 29-28 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium. Afterwards, QB Baker Mayfield lamented two throws that contributed to the Falcons' comeback on a night in which the Buccaneers' defense allowed 476 yards of offense.

Mayfield's three-yard touchdown pass to WR Chris Godwin Jr. early in the fourth quarter gave the Buccaneers a two-score edge, and after Bijan Robinson's six-yard scoring run made it 28-21, the home team moved into Atlanta territory with a chance to restore a two-score lead. Instead, Atlanta CB Dee Alford intercepted Mayfield at the Falcons' 33, setting up a 10-play touchdown drive. The Falcons failed on a two-point attempt to tie the game, but got the ball back in time to mount a 45-yard drive ending in Zane Gonzalez's 45-yard field goal as time expired. Mayfield took responsibility for a slightly underthrown pass to WR Emeka Egbuka that could have prevented Atlanta from getting one last possession.

"It falls on my shoulders," said Mayfield. "Can't turn the ball over, can't have that interception. And then just got to hit Mek in stride on that third down. Listen, you can say what you want about being up two scores and the defense right there, but we have to be better on offense, and it comes down to how I play. This one's going to haunt me. This falls on my shoulders."

Tampa Bay's defense still had a shot to salt away the win, particularly after a Haason Reddick sack and a holding penalty put Atlanta into a third-and-28 hole with 1:20 to play. But QB Kirk Cousins hit TE Kyle Pitts for 14 yards on third down and then converted a fourth-and-14 with a third-down strike to WR David Sills that put Atlanta in field goal range. The Bucs nearly sealed the game on Reddick's sack, which forced a fumble by Cousins, but the officials ruled that the quarterback was able to come up with the ball in the bottom of a scrum.

"Didn't execute," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "A few guys didn't make some plays, weren't where they were supposed to be. Inexcusable, can't happen. … It was inexcusable the way we played the fourth-and-14."

As to the Cousins fumble recovery, Bowles said: "Tried to get it reviewed. Couldn't. They kept going. They kept it going."

Cousins, who is starting for injured second-year passer Michael Penix, continued his recent mastery of the Buccaneers' defense, completing 30 of 44 passes for 373 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He threw four touchdown passes in each of the two head-to-head Bucs-Falcons games in 2024, but Atlanta victories. His favorite target was Pitts, who caught 11 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Bijan Robinson added 175 yards from scrimmage and a score.

"We played bad technique," said Bowles of the output by Pitts and Robinson. "A few guys played some bad things and it's inexcusable because we knew it all week and just didn't execute."

Mayfield had a full complement of weapons at his disposal with both Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan returning from injured reserve. He took advantage, completing six passes for 132 yards to Evans and two to McMillan for 38 yards. Mayfield's scoring passes of six yards to TE Devin Culp and three yards to WR Chris Godwin in the second half seemed to put the Bucs on path to victory but the Falcons rallied to put a serious dent in Tampa Bay's NFC South title hopes.

"He played winning football," said Bowles of Evans, who had missed the previous six games with a broken collarbone. "He played winning football. He cares. He's one of the guys that cares and he gave his heart and he gave his all."

Overall, Mayfield completed 19 of 34 passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He was under frequent pressure in his dropbacks and succumbed to five sacks. Tampa Bay's defense, meanwhile, recorded just one sack of Cousins and allowed Atlanta to convert on five of 11 third-down attempts while racking up 27 first downs. The Falcons gave the Buccaneers ample opportunity to run away with the game by committing 19 penalties for 125 yards but it wasn't enough to stave off a second straight loss to an NFC South team that had already been eliminated from playoff contention. Bowles laid out the Buccaneers' current situation to the team in his postgame locker room speech.

"He hit the nail on the head, in questioning does it mean anything to the guys?" said Mayfield. "Does this hurt enough for you to actually make changes, to come in and do the work that you need to do, to do the things that we need to do as a team to get better, fix these things and win ballgames. He repeated it, and it really is as simple as that. We have talent. Talent doesn't get you s* though; doing the work and executing on game day does, and we didn't do that today. Like I said, I didn't do that."

With the loss, the Buccaneers fell to 7-7 and into second place in the division to the 7-6 Carolina Panthers. Carolina plays at New Orleans on Sunday. The Buccaneers and Panthers still have two head-to-head games left to decide the division, in Charlotte next weekend and in Tampa in Week 18.

After a 6-2 start, the Buccaneers have now lost five of their last six outings. They are seeking a record-setting fifth straight NFC South title but are running out of time to right the ship.

"We've got to get up and go to work tomorrow, no matter how bad today looks," said Bowles. "You've got to put it behind you and we've got to win the last three games. We know that."

WR Kam Johnson got the opening kickoff out to the Bucs' 34-yard line, and Irving got the drive off to a good start with an 11-yard run up the middle and another 11-yard gain on an outlet pass. Mayfield's attempted quick slant to Evans was batted down at the line, and a run for no gain by Irving made it third-and-10. Mayfield looked towards WR Emeka Egbuka on the next play but the two weren't on the same page and it sailed wide. Riley Dixon's punt bounced inside the five-yard line and was downed at the six-yard line by CB Josh Hayes.

Robinson's first carry of the game, over right tackle, gained just one yard, but he danced between defenders on second down to get it out to the 17. Cousins' first pass of the game was a 13-yard completion to Pitts on a crossing route, and CB Jamel Dean was helped off the field with an injury afterward. A swing pass to Robinson was good for a first down at the Atlanta 43 two plays later, and three snaps later the Falcons faced a third-and-two. It became a third-and-12 after consecutive false start and delay of game penalties, and CB Jacob Parrish made a drive-ending tackle on a short pass to WR David Sills. Kameron Johnson fair caught the ensuing punt at the Bucs' 17.

Mayfield tried to get the ball to Evans again on first down but was hit on the throw and it wobbled incomplete. Irving powered up the middle for seven yards, and a defensive holding call on third down erased a sack. A misdirection handoff to White on the next play sprung the back for a 20-yard run to the Bucs' 49. Two plays later, Evans ran an out to the right and Mayfield put the ball on him for a 12-yard gain and a first down. A deep shot to Egbuka didn't work, and Mayfield was sacked for a loss of five on the next play. On third-and-15, Mayfield found Egbuka near the right sideline for a gain of 23 and a first down at the 20. Mayfield then hit McMillan over the middle near the end zone, on a play that was initially ruled a touchdown. Replay review left the ball inches short of the score, and Mayfield's first-down fade to Evans was incomplete. The Bucs brought in a huge personnel package with DL Vita Vea and extra OL Charlie Heck and Benjamin Chukwuma on the field and that was enough to pave the way for Tucker's one-yard run.

Tampa Bay 7, Atlanta 0 – 1:38 remaining in the first quarter

The Bucs' first kickoff of the game went into the end zone for a touchback, putting the ball at the Atlanta 35. Cousins got a pass off under pressure over the middle to Pitts for 26 yards to the Bucs' 39. A holding penalty then backed Atlanta up 10 yards, but Robinson got eight back on a first-and-20 carry, bringing the first quarter to an end. A swing pass to Robinson to start the second period made it third-and-five, and Cousins moved the chains with a 10-yard curl to WR David Sills. A false start by Atlanta was trumped by a defensive holding call on DL Greg Gaines, making it first down at the 19. Cousin was pressured into a throwaway on first downs but he found Sills again for six yards on the next snap. Great overall coverage on third down led to another incompletion and the Falcons appeared to settle for Zane Gonzalez's 31-yard field goal. However, an offsides call on McCollum gave Atlanta a first down and on the next play Cousins found Pitts wide open over the middle for the eight-yard touchdown.

Tampa Bay 7, Atlanta 7 – 12:11 remaining in the second quarter

After a touchback in which it was ruled that Tucker didn't get both feet established in the end zone, the Bucs' next drive started at their own 20. Irving ripped off a nine-yard run over right guard, and a defensive holding call deep downfield erased a sack and made it first down at the 34. A Tucker sweep to the left was good for six yards but Irving lost four yards on the next play. Mayfield had to scramble out of pressure on third down and his pass in Evans' direction was incomplete. The punt team came on and Atlanta ended up with the ball at its own 29.

A holding offense erased most of a long run by Robinson on the first play of the ensuing drive and made it first-and-11 at the 28, which became first-and-16 after a false start. Robinson made up for most of that with a 13-yard run, and he moved the chains with his next run. Yaya Diaby pressured Cousins into an incompletion on the next play, and a deep pass to Mooney was ruled incomplete on replay assist. It was third-and-15 after a false start, but Cousins hit Pitts for 11 yards to the Atlanta 47. The Falcons brought on the punting unit, and the ball went into the end zone for a touchback.

A pressured dumpoff to Irving fell incomplete on first down and a tunnel screen to Godwin was good for just four. On third down, Mayfield looked to Evans on a deep out to the right and it worked to perfection for a gain of 12. The next pass found Egbuka out to the left and he spun out of a tackle to pick up 12. Mayfield then found McMillan on an even deeper out route to the right sideline for 19 yards to the Atlanta 33. Three plays later, on third-and-nine, Mayfield couldn't find a target downfield and scrambled for one yard. Chase McLaughlin came on to finish the game with a 49-yard field goal.

Tampa Bay 10, Atlanta 7 – 2:04 remaining in the second quarter

After a touchback, the Falcons started at their 35 and a swing pass to Robinson got nine yards and brought on the two-minute warning. Robinson moved the chains with a four-yard run, then Pitts got open the down the right sideline for a 35-yard gain. On the very next snap, Cousins found Pitts again for his second touchdown of the game.

Atlanta 14, Tampa Bay 10 – 0:38 remaining in the second quarter

Tucker handled a low, hopping kickoff well and got the ball back to the Bucs' 26 with 33 seconds left in the half. His scrambling pass on first down in Godwin's direction was deflected at the line. A 15-yard facemask penalty moved the ball to the Bucs' 41 with 21 ticks left on the clock. Mayfield found Evans wide open down the left sideline for a gain of 34 to the Atlanta 26 and he got out of bounds with 13 seconds left. Mayfield was quickly sacked on the next play at the 34 and the Bucs used their second timeout with seven seconds remaining. Mayfield had no one to throw to on the next play and spiked the ball with three seconds left in the half, setting up McLaughlin for a 52-yard field goal try. He nailed it as time expired to make it a one-point game.

Atlanta 14, Tampa Bay 13 – end of first half

Atlanta got the ball to start the second half after a touchback. The drive started with a swing pass to Robinson that was good for 16 yards, followed by the back's four-yard run up the middle. Diaby fought off a block to drop Robinson for a loss of three and the Falcons then committed a false start. Cousins dumped the ball off to Pitts over the middle on third down but LB Deion Jones dropped him well short of the line to gain the Falcons sent out the punt squad. The ball went into the end zone but a holding call pushed the Bucs' offense back to its 10-yard line.

An Irving run for no yards and a quick strike to Godwin left the Bucs in a third-and-two. The offense went to a no-huddle and handed off to Irving heading left, leading to a five-yard gain. Mayfield then hit Egbuka on a flag route for 20 yards to the Bucs' 43, then dialed up a deep shot to Evans down the left sideline. Evans leapt over CB Cobee Bryant for a gain of 45 yards to the Atlanta 12. A facemask penalty on Bryant on the next play put the ball at the six but Mayfield slipped while scrambling on the next snap to make it second-and-goal from the 13. An attempted wheel route to Irving didn't work, but an illegal contact penalty on third down gave the Bucs a new set of down at the eight. Tucker took a sweep left and didn't get much, but that was due to a tripping penalty that made it first-and-goal at the four. Tucker was dropped for a two-yard loss on the next play, but Culp worked wide open into the middle of the end zone on the next play and Mayfield hit him for the go-ahead score.

Tampa Bay 20, Atlanta 14 – 6:22 remaining in the third quarter

After a touchback put the ball at the Atlanta 35 and an incompletion, Cousins threw a short pass that Robinson turned into a 21-yard gain. Sills then got wide open down the left sideline and Cousins hit him in the hands but he couldn't hang on. An out to WR Darnell Mooney led to a first down at the Bucs' 31, but two incompletions and an intentional grounding call followed. Cousins' pass attempt to Sills on third-and-20 was incomplete and the Falcons punted. Kameron Johnson muffed the resulting punt but was able to fall on it at the Bucs' 10.

Evans made a dazzling back-shoulder catch for 20 yards to start the next drive, and Irving found an opening for six yards up the middle on the next play. The Bucs then brought in both Irving and White for the next play and gave a direct snap to Irving, who blasted up the middle for 16 yards. That worked so good the Bucs did it again and got five more yards. Mayfield had no time to survey the field on second down before being dropped for a seven-yard sack back at the midfield stripe. A third-down out in Tez Johnson's direction was out of reach and the Bucs punted away. It was fair caught at the Atlanta 14.

After a two-yard run by Robinson, Cousins threw a short pass over the middle to Robinson but Izien separated the ball with a hard hit and Parrish recovered at the Atlanta 25.

The third quarter came to an end on a scrambling pass to Evans that was ruled incomplete. After the teams switched sides, replay assist ruled that Evans did catch the ball, making it first down at the 14. Irving got a first-down handoff but slipped on a cut to end up with no gain. Evans drew a pass-interference call on the next play, putting the ball at the five. Tucker got two yards on a first-down carry up the gut, and Mayfield then found Godwin in the back middle of the end zone for the three-yard score. The Bucs went for two and Mayfield and Godwin hooked up again to give the Bucs a 14-point lead.

Tampa Bay 28, Atlanta 14 – 13:34 remaining in the fourth quarter

Another touchback put the ball at Atlanta's 35. A deep out-breaking pass to Mooney was at his feet and incomplete. A quick shot out wide left to Robinson picked up seven, followed by another pass to the star back for a first down at the Atlanta 48. Three plays later, the Falcons faced a third-and-two at the Bucs' 44 and Pitts worked wide open in the right flat for a 26-yard catch-and-run. A quick slant to Sills picked up another 20 yards to make it first-and-goal and Robinson took a handoff out wide to the left on the next play for the six-yard score. The Falcons went for two and failed.

Tampa Bay 28, Atlanta 20 – 9:37 remaining in the fourth quarter

Atlanta's next kickoff hit the ground short of the landing zone, which allowed the Bucs to start at their own 40. A screen pass to White got a quick six yards, and a scrambling Mayfield found Egbuka for a nine-yard completion. Two plays later, Mayfield tried to find Evans near the left sideline but CB Dee Alford made a leaping interception at the Atlanta 33.

Robinson jump-started the next drive with a 14-yard run to the left, and three plays later the Falcons faced a third-and-seven from the midfield stripe. Cousins had pressure in his face on third down but got off a pass over the middle to Pitts for 10 yards and a first down. Allgeier sliced over left end for 15 more on the next play to get to the Bucs' 25. Two plays later, LB Lavonte David forced a fumble by Mooney but the Falcons somehow came up with the loose ball at the Bucs' 10. An incompletion and a false start made it second-and-goal at the 15, and a quick pass to TE Charlie Woerner made it third-and-goal at the seven. Cousins went to Pitts again, who made a bobbling catch at the right edge of the end zone. The Falcons went for two and a blitzing Winfield hit Cousins to force an incompletion.

Tampa Bay 28, Atlanta 26 – 3:34 remaining in the fourth quarter

Tucker got the kickoff out to the Bucs 27 and Irving got six yards on a first-down carry. His next run got just one and the Falcons used their first timeout at the 2:37 mark. A quick out to Godwin got the first down at the 39 and the Falcons used their second timeout. Irving was swallowed up on his next carry, losing four yards and leading to the Falcons' final timeout. A crossing pass to Egbuka was incomplete and the Bucs used a timeout to contemplate their third-down call. Mayfield was under instant pressure on the next snap and was dropped for a sack to set up a punt as the two-minute warning arrived.

After the break, a Dixon punt put Atlanta at its own 30. Cousins immediately hit Sills on a sideline route for 17 yards to get close to midfield. Reddick then got to Cousins for the Bucs' one sack of the game, forcing a fumble that led to a huge pile of bodies and eventually led to a ruling that Cousins had recovered the ball. A holding penalty made it second-and-28 and was followed by an incompletion. Cousins then hit the critical completions to Pitts and Sills, and another six-yard catch by Mooney set up Gonzalez's game-winner.