Falcons show fight before falling 48-25 to Buccaneers in Week 2
The Atlanta Falcons were crushed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, falling 48-25 in a game they were very much expected to lose. A slow start made it look like a blowout was coming, but the Falcons fought back and actually had the ball down by three points midway through the second half before a second implosion cost the team a potential upset win.
Here the main takeaways from Atlanta’s offensive, defensive and special teams units in Sunday’s matchup against Tampa Bay.
Offense
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The offense struggled as anticipated early. But after going down 14-0, the Falcons put together a nice drive that ended in a 10-yard touchdown run by running back Cordarrelle Patterson. The free-agent RB/kick returner was again one of the offensive standouts, adding five catches for 58 receiving yards and a touchdown reception. Matt Ryan had an inconsistent day that showed both where he still has upside and where he can hurt the team. He finished with 300 passing yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Ryan's comeback attempt looked promising but his ill-advised throw against the blitz was returned for a touchdown to seal the game. Running back Mike Davis rushed nine times for 38 yards and rookie Kyle Pitts had a nice day, catching five of six targets for 73 yards. Calvin Ridley finished with seven catches for 63 yards and a touchdown.
Defense
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Things looked bad early for Atlanta. Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady drove down with ease and found tight end Rob Gronkowski for a quick touchdown. Another promising first-quarter Bucs drive came to an end after a sack from Dante Fowler forced a Brady fumble and the Falcons recovered. The play potentially saved the game from getting out of hand in the first quarter. Brady and the Bucs' offense was slowed for a bit but ultimately the 44-year-old signal-caller threw for 276 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell was among the standouts on defense with two really impressive passes defended and showing he's the team's best defender in the secondary. However, the former first-round pick left the game with a concussion. Tampa Bay managed just 82 yards on 21 carries on the ground. Head coach Bruce Arians stayed aggressive throughout and that may have been the difference on Sunday.
Special Teams
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Koo again kept the Falcons alive, converting on a 36-yard field goal as the first half expired that cut the Buccaneers' lead to 11 points. He'd finish with just the one field goal and went 2-of-2 on extra point attempts. Tampa clearly didn't want Patterson to get the ball in the return game, but he had one attempt for 27 yards. Rookie Avery Williams had just 11 yards on two punt returns and let one be downed inside the five-yard line when he should have probably taken it out. Williams also had four kick returns for 59 yards (14.8 yards per return). Punter Cameron Nizialek punted four times for 157 yards (39.3 yards per attempt).
1
1
