Ira Kaufman's 10 takeaways from Falcons-Bucs – JoeBucsFan.com

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BY IRA KAUFMAN

There's something about the Buccaneer defense that brings out the best in Kirk Cousins.

It doesn't matter what uniform Cousins ​​wears, he's still wearing Tampa Bay.

Although he didn't shout, “Do you like this?” As he walked to the Atlanta locker room on Sunday, the collective groans of Buc Nation rendered the question moot as Cousins ​​smashed the Bucs for the second time in 24 days. It was the second time this season that Cousins ​​threw four TD passes against Tampa Bay's staggering defense.

This isn't a year-long ordeal either.

For his career, Cousins ​​has completed 76 percent of his passes against the Bucs, with 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions. The 31:26 triumph on Sunday gave the Falcons sole possession of first place in the NFC South at 5:3 and a win on the season against the Bucs.

Despite three giveaways, Tampa Bay's offense continued to hum without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The main problem with this 1-3 skid lies on the other side of the ball, where the Bucs have allowed an average of 34 points, as opposed to just 19.5 points in their 3-1 start. With the Chiefs and 49ers up next, the Bucs have a real chance to enter the bye week at 4-6, plagued by a four-game losing streak.

“It's frustrating when you lose,” said veteran Will Gholston, “but we have to keep fighting.” It's a long season, 17 games. Dig deep into your playbook and trust your coaches.”

Todd Bowles' defense continues to disappoint.

The home team didn't give up, but there wasn't much defense either, as Atlanta racked up 394 yards and converted 6 of 12 on third down.

A 129-yard ground game complemented Cousins, who missed just six times on 29 pass attempts.

With the game on the line in the final minutes, Atlanta faced a first-and-22 at midfield. Cousins ​​​​threw to Drake London for 8 yards and then made the game's decisive play when he scrambled up the middle for 13 yards. His 3-yard keeper on fourth-and-1 helped the Falcons run out the clock before the Bucs got a break when Younghoe Koo's 46-yard FG attempt veered right.

Baker Mayfield, who threw for 330 yards and three scores, took the lead from a five-point deficit, but there were only 61 seconds left and Tampa Bay ran out of timeouts. When Mayfield's desperate final pass went awry, one had to wonder if the division crown was also out of the picture.

“The air isn’t out of the building yet,” emphasizes rookie center Graham Barton. “We have to continue to lean on each other.”

Here's how the Falcons survived a bad home loss to Seattle and took command of the NFC South:

* Falcons safety Jessie Bates continued to trouble the Bucs with a forced fumble and an interception. He took the ball from Rachaad White on the second play from scrimmage and set up a 36-yard TD catch from Kyle Pitts. His third-quarter pick at the Atlanta 8-yard line ended a beautiful drive by Mayfield. Remember, it was Bates who knocked the ball out of Bucky Irving's hands in Atlanta when it looked like the Bucs were on their way to victory.

The up-and-coming Cade Otton.

* Cade Otton improved for the second straight game, hauling in nine receptions and scoring two goals, a career-best. He is developing into one of the better tight ends in the NFL and his downfield blocking has improved significantly. That day, he reminded Buc fans of another No. 88 in Creamsicle – Jimmie Giles.

* Once again, Mayfield proved to be a resolute leader and competitor. He never gives up, but his turnovers have been a problem for the third week in a row. He has thrown 7 of his 9 interceptions in that span and Tampa Bay's defense isn't strong enough to overcome giveaways.

* The Bucs missed a golden opportunity to honor one of their own on Sunday. With their retro uniforms on display, it would have been the perfect time to induct James Wilder into the Buc Ring of Honor. This was the second year in a row that the Glazers failed to secure a selection. Maybe they're waiting to celebrate the franchise's 50th anniversary in 2025, but for now it seems like a puzzling oversight.

* Remember when the Bucs were plagued by slow starts? Those days are over and Liam Coen should get much of the credit. Tampa Bay has a 70-31 points lead in the first quarter. The middle two quarters were the problem.

* Raheem Morris is halfway to his “Race to 10” mantra, which he loved to talk about during his three-year tenure as Bucs head coach. After the game, he high-fived everyone in sight as the Falcons jumped to a two-game lead at the top of the division. “We’re on to the next game, man,” Morris said. “The 1-0 mentality. We have a strong team (Dallas) next week. It’s about where you want to go, right?”

More CJ Brewer after two sacks today, says Ira.

* The Bucs continue to run the football with authority, averaging 4.6 yards. For some reason, Tampa Bay only managed 22 shots compared to Mayfield's 50 shots. That's not a success rate, Mr. Coen, especially when Mayfield's two main goals are ignored.

*The overall defense wasn't nearly good enough, but you can bet Todd Bowles noticed that CJ Brewer registered both sacks against Cousins. More snaps for No. 95? You can bet on that.

* The only two players who suited up and didn't see the field…Kyle Trask and Michael Penix Jr.

* Even though the Bucs missed a 3-1 road win, they can stay in postseason contention this week by splitting at least their next two games. It won't be easy, but the Chiefs aren't scoring many points and the 49ers' defense is underperforming. Mission 1? Give Bucky Irving more than 16 touches and see what happens.