Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons
Final Score: Buccaneers 23, Falcons 20
Writer: Pranav Babarjung
An explosive start and a relatively slow remaining first half was followed by an absolutely riveting fourth-quarter finish to this NFC South matchup. Both teams struggled to establish the run, leading to a combined 74 pass attempts from both teams. The Bucs were able to eke out this win off a missed field goal from Younghoe Koo that would have sent this game to overtime.
Four Up
- Bijan Robinson — A 50-yard receiving touchdown on the first drive set the tone for a high-volume day.
- Emeka Egbuka — The rookie came up big in his NFL debut with 2 long touchdowns, including the game winner.
- Michael Penix Jr. — Penix looked confident and decisive under center as he led the Falcons down the field on their last two drives, despite the loss.
- Drake London — London was the focal point of this Falcons passing attack, and was almost in for a big day with two accurate end zone targets as well.
Two Down
- Baker Mayfield — Three passing touchdowns saved an uncharacteristically inaccurate passing day from Baker.
- Chase McLaughlin — I know a kicker isn’t exactly a conventional choice, but McLaughlin’s missed field goal and extra point were the only things that gave the Bucs any chance of losing.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield: 17/32, 167 Yards, 3 TDs | 5 Carries, 39 Yards
A decent fantasy performance hides a subpar game from Mayfield. The Bucs were simply not able to establish the run throughout the entire game, yet he had only 167 passing yards. He was consistently overthrowing his receivers, including a particularly egregious miscommunication with a wide-open Cade Otton, which would have easily resulted in house call if they had connected. As always though, Baker comes through in the clutch. With 2 minutes, 30 seconds left on the clock, he marched the Bucs down the field and ended the drive with what ended up being a decisive 25-yard touchdown to Emeka Egbuka.
Running Back
Bucky Irving: 14 Carries, 37 Yards | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 8 Yards, TD
The loss of Tristan Wirfs was felt immensely. Bucky had a horrendously inefficient day with less than 3 yards per carry. A 10+ yard run was called back due to holding, but other than that the stat line is pretty indicative of his performance. Bucky’s day was saved by the receiving touchdown, and his usage looks encouraging. Neither Rachaad White nor Sean Tucker ate into any significant portion of Bucky’s volume.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Emeka Egbuka: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 67 Yards, 2 TDs | 1 Carry 9 Yards
Egbuka had a solid NFL debut as the leading pass catcher for the Bucs. The target share was split pretty evenly between all three receivers, but Egbuka came away with both receiving touchdowns. He had one drop that would have been a 17-yard gain had the ball not hit the ground, but overall, he looked confident with the ball in his hands.
Mike Evans: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 51 Yards
Big M1k3 was the Bucs’ most-targeted pass catcher, as was to be expected going into the game. Mayfield overshot him on a couple passes that would have added at least 15 yards. Evans had no end zone looks in the Bucs’ one trip to the red zone.
Sterling Shepherd: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 36 Yards
Shepherd had an equal target share to Egbuka, but was not as efficient with his receptions. Mayfield looked for him on multiple third-and-long attempts.
Cade Otton: 3 Targets, 0 Receptions, 0 Yards
Otton put unfortunately put up a goose egg, but had the potential to have a serviceable day off one big play. Mayfield overthrew a wide-open Otton on what could have easily been a 51-yard house call.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Michael Penix Jr.: 27/42, 298 Yards, 1 TD | 3 Carries, 21 Yards, TD
Penix looked completely in control throughout the game. Even in crunch time, with the game on the line, he stayed calm and led the Falcons down the field. On their last scoring drive, following two end zone drops from Drake London, Penix used his legs to score on fourth down and give Atlanta the lead. Even on the last drive, he made the right pass decisions and managed the clock properly to give them the best possible chance at forcing overtime. A solid fantasy day was the reward for managers who chose to start him.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: 12 Carries, 24 Yards | 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 100 Yards, TD
Bijan immediately impressed with a 50-yard receiving touchdown on the third snap of the game. Unfortunately the hits the Falcons took losing Kaleb McGary were evident. Tyson Allgeier and Bijan both were only able to rush for 24 hard-fought yards on double-digit carries behind the depleted offensive line. He made up for it though, with 100 yards through the air. Bijan missed out on a rushing touchdown from the 3-yard line.
Tyler Allgeier: 10 Carries, 24 Yards
Allgeier was slightly more efficient than the lead back today. As usual, he was brought in for short-yardage situations. Bijan will continue to have the entire RB receiving work load.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Kyle Pitts: 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 59 Yards
Pitts started off slow with only one target and reception through the whole first half. In the fourth quarter, however, Penix started targeting Pitts heavily. The final heartbreaking drive without London pushed Pitts over the edge to become Atlanta’s leading pass catcher. He was not targeted in the end zone at all, however.
Drake London: 15 Targets, 8 Receptions, 55 Yards
London is a volume monster. Despite having only eight receptions, he was targeted a whopping 15 times. Penix also targeted him on back-to-back attempts in the end zone. London unfortunately dropped both passes, which could have saved his fantasy day. The sheer amount of times Penix attempted to get him the ball was a sign of the trust between them. He did suffer a shoulder injury that kept him out of the last drive.
Ray-Ray McCloud: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 51 Yards
McCloud remains the once-in-a-while deep threat. He shares his role as the WR3 on this team with Casey Washington.
Casey Washington: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 33 Yards
In the absence of Darnell Mooney, the bulk of his vacated targets were split between Washington and McCloud. In the fourth quarter, Washington had a chance at a touchdown, but had the ball stripped from his hands for an incompletion.