With the NFC South up for grabs, the Atlanta Falcons came into Tampa looking to sweep the Buccaneers and take sole possession of first place. And just like Week 5, Kirk Cousins and the Falcons offense were able to move the ball with ease and ultimately leave with a 31-26 victory.
The Buccaneers' defense once again struggled from the start, allowing 224 yards through the air with three passing touchdowns in the first half. Two of those touchdowns were caught by tight end Kyle Pitts, and the third belonged to wide receiver Darnell Mooney.
Cousins ended the day with four passing touchdowns, 276 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 145.9. The Falcons rushed for 129 yards and accumulated 394 yards of total offense.
After the game, coach Todd Bowles was asked about the defensive performance and why they couldn’t seem to disrupt the Falcons on offense.
“[A] lack of concentration," Bowles said. "These are day one things we should know. Either we missed the tackle, or we didn’t play it right, and it’s nothing new [that] we put in. There’s no chemistry to it – we’ve just got to play it better defensively, and we have to coach it better defensively. But there’s no excuse for it.”
The Buccaneers have had their fair share of struggles on defense. Many are beginning to question how a defense that ranked top-five in some categories in 2023 is now near the bottom of the league this season.
As the team shifts their focus to a Monday Night Football matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bucs hope to sharpen the "day one things" and leave Arrowhead Stadium with a win.
With the NFC South up for grabs, the Atlanta Falcons came into Tampa looking to sweep the Buccaneers and take sole possession of first place. And just like Week 5, Kirk Cousins and the Falcons offense were able to move the ball with ease and ultimately leave with a 31-26 victory.
The Buccaneers' defense once again struggled from the start, allowing 224 yards through the air with three passing touchdowns in the first half. Two of those touchdowns were caught by tight end Kyle Pitts, and the third belonged to wide receiver Darnell Mooney.
Cousins ended the day with four passing touchdowns, 276 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 145.9. The Falcons rushed for 129 yards and accumulated 394 yards of total offense.
After the game, coach Todd Bowles was asked about the defensive performance and why they couldn’t seem to disrupt the Falcons on offense.
“[A] lack of concentration," Bowles said. "These are day one things we should know. Either we missed the tackle, or we didn’t play it right, and it’s nothing new [that] we put in. There’s no chemistry to it – we’ve just got to play it better defensively, and we have to coach it better defensively. But there’s no excuse for it.”
The Buccaneers have had their fair share of struggles on defense. Many are beginning to question how a defense that ranked top-five in some categories in 2023 is now near the bottom of the league this season.
As the team shifts their focus to a Monday Night Football matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bucs hope to sharpen the "day one things" and leave Arrowhead Stadium with a win.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
