The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the division-rival Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night in Week 15, letting a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter dissolve into a 29-28 walk-off loss on a Zane Gonzalez field goal. The defeat briefly knocked Tampa Bay out of first place in the NFC South, though a subsequent loss by Carolina in New Orleans on Sunday put them back into a tie atop the division with the Panthers.
While the loss was the team's fifth in its last six outings, there were some positive developments in Week 15, most notably the return of wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan from injured reserve. Evans, the franchise's all-time leader in virtually every category, wasted no time in reestablishing himself at the center of the Buccaneers' offense, catching six passes for 132 yards to lead the team in both categories against the Falcons.
Evans' yardage total marked the 39th 100-yard receiving game of his career and his 43rd with playoffs included. That is tied for the third most 100-yard games among active players, postseason included and is second most among wide receivers.
Most 100-Yard Receiving Games, Active NFL Players, Regular Season + Postseason
1.Davante Adams, Packers/Raiders/Jets/Rams: 50
2. Travis Kelce (TE), Chiefs: 47
3t. Mike Evans, Buccaneers: 43
3t. DeAndre Hopkins, Texans/Cardinals/Titans/Chiefs/Ravens: 43
5. Stefon Diggs, Vikings/Bills/Texans/Patriots: 41
Evans increased his career regular-season yardage total to 12,956 and with four more would become just the 22nd player in NFL history surpass 13,000 receiving yards. He also ranks 10th in league annals with 106 touchdown receptions.
Wide receiver Chris Godwin caught four passes for 20 yards against the Falcons, including a three-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. It was the 40th touchdown grab of his career (he also has two rushing scores), allowing him to join Evans as the only Buccaneers ever to reach that mark. After the score, he added a successful two-point conversion on a pass from Baker Mayfield, the fifth two-point score of Godwin's career. That broke a tie with Evans for the most successful two-point conversions in Bucs history; he and Evans have accounted for just over a fifth of the 44 successful two-point conversions in team annals.
Godwin's five career two-point scores are just two behind the all-time NFL lead of seven shared by Zach Ertz, Marshall Faulk and Alvin Kamara. Godwin is now tied for 10th in league history in two-point conversions scored.
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka added 64 yards on four receptions on Thursday night, pushing his season total to 870 yards on 58 catches. He need to average 43.3 receiving yards over the final three weeks of the regular season to join Evans and Michael Clayton as the only rookies in franchise history to record 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Most Receiving Yards in a Season by a Rookie, Buccaneer History
1. Michael Clayton, 2004: 1,193
2. Mike Evans, 2014: 1,051
3. Mike Williams, 2010: 964
4. Emeka Egbuka, 2025: 870
5. Lawrence Dawsey, 1991: 818
Egbuka also regained his spot atop the list of NFL rookies in 2025 in terms of receiving yards, moving past Carolina's Tetairoa McMillan.
Most Receiving Yards, Rookies, 2025
1. Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers: 870
2. Tetairoa McMillan, Panthers: 851
3. Tyler Warren, Colts: 718
4. Harold Fannin, Browns: 667
5. Oronde Gadsden II, Chargers: 602
Second-year tight end Devin Culp recorded his first reception of the season on Thursday night, and it went for a six-yard touchdown in the third quarter. That marked the first touchdown of Culp's career and it was also the first trip to the end zone by a Tampa Bay tight end in 2025.
Running back Sean Tucker scored the Buccaneers' first touchdown of the game on a one-yard run in the first quarter, the 10th of his career. He now has a team-high seven touchdowns on the season, reaching the end zone on one out of every 12 touches he's made this season (76 runs, eight receptions). Of all NFL running backs in 2025 with fewer than 100 touches, Tucker has scored the most touchdowns.
Most Touchdowns Scored, NFL Running Backs, 2025, 100 or Fewer Touches
| Running Back | Team | Touches | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Tucker | Buccaneers | 84 | 7 |
| Bhayshul Tuten | Jaguars | 88 | 6 |
| Ollie Gordon | Dolphins | 64 | 4 |
| Chris Rodriguez | Commanders | 82 | 4 |
| Justice Hill | Ravens | 39 | 3 |
Kicker Chase McLaughlin accounted for the rest of the Bucs' points against Atlanta with two field goals and two extra points. His field goals came from 49 and 52 yards and he is now 10 for 10 on the season on attempts from 50 yards and beyond. Since 2017, the only kickers in the NFL to make at least 10 field goals from 50 or more yards in a season without a miss are the Cowboys' Brandon Aubrey in 2023 and McLaughlin so far this season.
On Sunday against Minnesota, Aubrey missed on field goal tries from 51 and 59 yards. That allowed McLaughlin to ascend the top spot in NFL history in terms of success rate on attempts from 50 yards and beyond.
Highest Field Goal Success Rate, 50-Plus Yards, NFL History
(minimum 25 attempts)
| Kicker | Team(s) | Made | Att. | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase McLaughlin | TB, IND, CLE, LAC, JAX, SF & NYJ | 42 | 49 | 85.7% |
| Chris Boswell | PIT | 50 | 60 | 83.3% |
| Brandon Aubrey | DAL | 33 | 40 | 82.5% |
| Cameron Dicker | LAC | 21 | 27 | 77.8% |
| Matt Prater | DET, DEN, ARI, BUF & ATL | 82 | 110 | 74.5% |
On defense, outside linebacker Haason Reddick recorded the Buccaneers' lone sack of the day, forcing a Kirk Cousins fumble that the Falcons were able to recover to extend their game-winning field goal drive. That was the 15th strip-sack that Reddick has recorded since the start of the 2020 season, second most in the NFL in that span.
The Buccaneers' defense forced two other fumbles on the day, including one by safety Christian Izien in the third quarter that was recovered by cornerback Jacob Parrish to set up a touchdown drive. The other was forced by linebacker Lavonte David off wide receiver Darnell Mooney, though the Falcons also managed to keep possession on that one. That was the 33rd forced fumble of David's illustrious career, which currently ranks third among all active players. David is the only player in the top 10 in that category among active players who is not an edge rusher or defensive lineman.
Most Career Forced Fumbles, Active NFL Players
1. T.J. Watt, Steelers: 36
2. Khalil Mack, Raiders/Bears/Chargers: 35
3. Lavonte David, Buccaneers: 33
4. Von Miller, Broncos/Rams/Bills/Commanders: 27
5. Myles Garrett, Browns: 23
