After the 16-0 Loss in Tampa, Falcons Face Hard Questions While Bucs Ride Their Run Game Back Into the NFC South Race

The final score from Tampa was 16-0, and the oddity of the day was that the Buccaneers won without completing a pass. A day later, the bigger questions sit in Atlanta. The Falcons had called their upset of San Francisco a week earlier an “identity game.” In the rain at Raymond James Stadium they looked like a different team, and Michael Penix Jr. had what he called the worst game of his life.

Michael Penix Jr.: “I’m going to shake back”

Penix went 8 for 24 for 125 yards with four interceptions, three of them in roughly the first 18 minutes. He came in with only one interception all season and threw just three in nine starts last year, according to The Athletic’s report on NFL.com. A week earlier he had been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

It also happened close to home. Penix grew up in nearby Dade City and had family and friends in the stands.

“I haven’t ever thrown four picks in a game,” Penix said. “I’m going to shake back, I promise you I will.” He took the blame himself: “As the quarterback, the leader, I have to protect the ball… I did a poor job of that today.”

Safety Jessie Bates said the young quarterback “feels like he let our team down, but I know he’ll bounce back.”

Kevin Stefanski: “They outplayed us and outcoached us”

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said he has no concerns about Penix’s overall development. “Obviously, we can do a better job. Mike can do a better job. I can do a better job. But, no, I do not,” he said.

He didn’t push back on the result either. Atlanta went 0 for 12 on third down. On 10 plays of third-and-2 or less or fourth-and-2 or less, it gained a total of 4 yards. Tampa Bay outrushed the Falcons 324 to 99, the most rushing yards Atlanta has allowed this century, per the report. “They outplayed us and outcoached us today,” Stefanski said. “We have to own this.”

Bijan Robinson ran for 76 yards on 19 carries and was blunt about the 225-yard gap on the ground: “I mean, that sucks.”

Bucky Irving, Kenneth Gainwell and a run-first plan

On the other sideline, the rain made the decision for coach Todd Bowles. “I didn’t say we were not going to throw the ball – the conditions told him that,” he said, per NFL.com.

Baker Mayfield handed off 52 times in his second game back from a fractured thumb, according to the AP recap on ESPN. Irving (27 carries, 170 yards, 1 TD) and Gainwell (25 carries, 140 yards) both set career highs. Mayfield’s line was 0 for 3 for zero yards, plus 14 rushing yards on four carries.

“I will do whatever it takes to win. That’s all that matters to me,” Mayfield said. Lineman Luke Goedeke joked that Mayfield “hands off a mean ball.”

Injuries to watch

The AP reported that Bucs outside linebacker Yaya Diaby left in the first quarter with a knee injury and that wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (foot) was inactive. No update on Diaby’s status was available in the reports we reviewed.

NFC South standings after Week 8

Tampa Bay has now won two straight division games. Per NFL.com, the standings look like this:

• Carolina Panthers: 3-4 (first place)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-5
• Atlanta Falcons: 3-5
• New Orleans Saints: 2-5

“I told them to keep their shovels close because we have a lot more digging to do, but it gets us back in it,” Bowles said.

What’s next for both teams

• Buccaneers: at the Chicago Bears (5-2) on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 8:20 PM ET on NBC.
• Falcons: travel to Madrid to face the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday in the NFL’s second regular-season game in Spain, according to the AP.

FAQ

Earlier coverage: Buccaneers Shut Out Falcons 16-0 Without Completing a Pass, Run for Franchise-Record 324 Yards (Nov 1)