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Week 15 Game Recap: Atlanta Falcons 3, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37
What you need to know
| Atlanta Falcons |
Chris Redman started the game for the Falcons and threw an interception on the first drive of the game, as Tampa Bay DB Ronde Barber returned the pick for a touchdown. Redman led a field goal scoring drive on the club's next possession, but that was all Atlanta could muster up on offense, and the Buccaneers scored 30 straight points to earn the victory and the NFC South Division crown.
With the Falcons falling behind 27-3 at halftime, the rushing attack wasn't a big part of the game plan. RB Jerious Norwood led the club on the ground with 73 yards on nine attempts and Warrick Dunn managed 32 yards on eight attempts.
Atlanta's passing game was awful with just 34 yards passing. WR Laurent Robinson led the team with just one reception for 13 yards and the recently hot WR Roddy White, who entered the game questionable with an injury, was able to come up with just one reception for four yards.
The Falcons defense gave up a score on both the ground and through the air, along with a special teams touchdown, and continued to be put in bad situations by their inept offense. They allowed just 285 total yards for the game, but because of the short fields they were forced to defend, the yards they gave up really hurt. Bad offensive play, coupled with poor tackling at times and breakdowns on special teams are never a recipe for victory. The lone bright spot for the Atlanta defense was an interception by DB DeAngelo Hall, the only turnover forced by the Falcons defense for the game.
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
QB Jeff Garcia and the Buccaneers received a lot of help early on, with a defensive return for a touchdown and a special teams return for a score. With Garcia's recent back problems, Tampa Bay leaned heavily on the running game, and used their success in that phase of the game to control the clock. Garcia finished with 109 passing yards, but came through on a one yard passing score in the fourth quarter before going to the bench to enjoy the victory.
RB Earnest Graham led the Buccaneers rushing attack with a stat line we've been used to seeing from the young back, with 22 rushes for 79 yards, including a one yard touchdown run. Graham also contributed in the passing game with five receptions for 40 yards to lead the club in receiving. Michael Bennett chipped in with 63 yards on nine attempts and Michael Pittman added 13 rushes for 50 yards.
Joey Galloway finished with just one catch for seven yards, and with Graham leading the team in receiving, the only other big play to come out of the air was a one yard touchdown reception by TE Anthony Becht.
The Tampa Bay defense dominated the Falcons in every aspect of the game. With aggressive, game changing plays early on, they were able to pin their ears back and bring pressure from every angle on the Atlanta offense. They were only on the field for just over 17 minutes, and as a result, allowed just 133 total yards on their way to allowing just three points. DB Ronde Barber returned an interception for a touchdown and DB Jermaine Phillips added an interception of his own. DE Gaines Adams registered the team's only sack of the game. And last, but not least, the Buccaneers special teams finally returned a kickoff for a touchdown, the first of their franchise's history, courtesy of WR Michael Spurlock.
What you ought to know
| QB Chris Redman, Pass: 4 - 15 - 34 - 0 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0 |
Chris Redman had a nightmare of a game in the little time he was on the field. For the game, he finished four of 15 for just 34 yards, zero scores and two interceptions. Redman threw a pick on the first drive that was returned for a touchdown, and that score, along with the Tampa Bay kickoff return for a touchdown, helped put Atlanta in a position where they were forced to make plays through the air, and they just couldn't come through. As a result, Tampa Bay used their running game to control the clock and keep the Falcons off the field, a big reason why Redman had only 15 attempts. Redman also lost a fumble.
| RB Warrick Dunn, Rush: 8 - 32 - 0, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (3 targets) |
Dunn ran the ball eight times for just 32 yards, including a lost fumble, but the running attack was limited by the big deficit the Falcons faced early on. He did record one catch for seven yards in the passing game, where he was targeted three times.
| RB Jerious Norwood, Rush: 9 - 73 - 0 (2 targets) |
Norwood led Atlanta in rushing with nine rushes for 73 yards and was really the only Atlanta offensive player to find room to make plays against the Tampa Bay defense. He was targeted twice in the passing game, but did not record a reception.
| WR Laurent Robinson, Rec: 1 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) |
Despite getting just two targets, Robinson led the team in receiving with one catch for 18 yards.
| WR Michael Jenkins, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) |
Jenkins was targeted twice, and finished with one reception for five yards.
| WR Roddy White, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (4 targets) |
White got four looks from his quarterback, but managed just one reception for four yards.
| TE Alge Crumpler (1 targets) |
Crumpler had a quiet day, with zero receptions on just one target.
| PK Morten Andersen 1 - 1 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 3 points |
Anderson made his only field goal attempt for the game from 33 yards out to finish with three points.
| ATL Rush Defense |
The Falcons gave up 190 yards on the ground on 48 attempts, as their defense was worn down by a Tampa Bay offense that was given a big lead early on in the ball game. They allowed ten rushing first downs but didn't play horribly against the run, allowing 4.0 yards per carry. Tampa Bay did manage one score on the ground, but Atlanta did the best they could with the circumstances they were dealt, as three Tampa Bay scoring drives totaled just three, four and six plays as a result of Falcons turnovers.
DB Lawyer Milloy led the way with 11 tackles and one assist and LB Keith Brooking added ten solo and five assisted tackles.
| ATL Pass Defense |
Atlanta gave up just 109 passing yards to Garcia, but much of that was a result of the run-heavy gamelan by the Tampa Bay offense. They had a few defensive pass interference calls and did allow one score through the air.
DB DeAngelo Hall came through with the team's only turnover, intercepting a Garcia pass for one of the lone bright spots on the defensive side of the ball for the Falcons. DL John Abraham registered a sack before leaving the game with an injury.
| QB Jeff Garcia, Pass: 15 - 25 - 109 - 1 TD / 1 INT |
Jeff Garcia returned from injury, and the results of plays early on in the game allowed Tampa Bay to turn to a conservative game plan that was focused on shortening the game. Garcia was 15 of 25 for 109 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. The touchdown pass came on a one yard connection with TE Anthony Becht in the fourth quarter. With the big lead late in the game, Garcia was allowed to watch the rest of the game from the sidelines.
| RB Earnest Graham, Rush: 22 - 79 - 1, Rec: 5 - 40 - 0 (5 targets) |
Earnest Graham once again shouldered the load for the Buccaneers on the ground, rushing the ball 22 times for 79 yards and a one yard touchdown, and adding five receptions for 40 yards to lead the club in receiving as well. Graham continued to make plays on the ground and through the air and was the second most targeted receiver, finishing with five for the game.
| RB Michael Pittman, Rush: 13 - 50 - 0, Rec: 3 - 20 - 0 (4 targets) |
Pittman contributed in both phases of the offense, rushing the ball 13 times for 50 yards and adding three receptions for 20 yards on four targets in the passing game.
| RB Michael Bennett, Rush: 9 - 63 - 0 |
Bennett was used mostly in the fourth quarter, where he ran the ball nine times for 63 yards. He showed some of the speed and burst that he's shown in the past, and could have shown enough in his time with the Buccaneers to be brought back next season.
| WR Michael Clayton, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (3 targets) |
Clayton was targeted three times and finished with two receptions for 22 yards. Clayton also had one rush for no gain.
| WR Joey Galloway, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (7 targets) |
Joey Galloway had a quiet game and finished with just one reception for seven yards. He was the most targeted Buccaneers receiver, finishing with seven targets for the game, and he was able to force a few defensive pass interference plays downfield that helped keep drives alive for Tampa Bay.
| WR Ike Hilliard, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) |
Ike Hilliard was targeted twice and finished with one reception for nine yards. He was also used in the return game.
| TE Anthony Becht, Rec: 2 - 10 - 1 (2 targets) |
Becht caught the only two passes thrown his way for ten yards, including a one yard touchdown reception from Jeff Garcia in the fourth quarter.
| TE Alex Smith (1 targets) |
Smith was targeted just one time in the game and failed to record a catch.
| PK Matt Bryant 3 - 3 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 13 points |
Bryant connected on field goals from 33, 28 and 34 yards out and added four extra points to finish with 13 points in the game.
| TB Rush Defense |
The Buccaneers were up to the challenge against the Falcons. Aided by a few big plays early on that helped the club jump out to a big first half lead, Tampa Bay was able to forget about defending the run and focus on the pass, and Atlanta couldn't find any success in that phase of the game either. The Falcons averaged 5.3 yards per rush on the ground, but because of their deficit, couldn't run the ball enough to make something out of it. Of Atlanta's five first downs in the game, four of them came on the ground.
LB Barrett Rudd led the way defensively for the Buccaneers with six solo tackles and two assists and DL's Gaines Adams and Grew White each forced fumbles.
| TB Pass Defense |
Tampa Bay completely shut down the Atlanta passing game, as they gave up just 27 net passing yards, forced two interceptions and three fumbles. The Falcons could not get anything going, and because of their erratic offense, could not sustain drives long enough to come up with more than three points.
DB Ronde Barber made the biggest play on defense for Tampa Bay, picking off a Redman pass on the first drive and returning it for a touchdown. DB Jermaine Phillips also added an interception and rookie DL Gaines Adams finished with three tackles, one assist, a sack, and a forced fumble.
