Monday, 4 a.m.
The positive way to look at it is that the wide receivers didn’t beat the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday.
The defensive backs?
That’s another story.
Playing without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Bucs’ offense moved the ball well enough to win. However, a porous secondary cost the Bucs in a 31-26 loss.
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Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for four touchdowns — and he has eight in the two games against Tampa Bay this season. Three of his four scores were pass plays of 30 yards or more.
Against the Bucs, Cousins played like a Hall of Famer. In two games, he hit 65 of 85 passes fosr 785 yards and the eight scores.
"A lack of concentration," Bucs' head coach Todd Bowles said of the weak defense. "These are day one things we should know. Either we missed the tackle or we didn't play it right. It's nothing nw we put in. There's no chemistry to it. We've just got to play it better. There's o excuse.
"It starts wtih coaching. It starts with me. It starts with the defensive cozchd nd it starts with the players. We've got to play better. We have to fix it. Nobody is coming to save us."
Atlanta got a break when Kyle Pitts scored. As he crossed the goal, Antoine Winfield batted the ball away. The referees ruled Pitts had crossed the goal line hefore fumbling.
The Falcons also ran for 129 yards and snuffed the Bucs on a fake punt.
The Bucs’ young wide receivers caught 15 passes for 161 yards. But Atlanta took a 31-17 lead through three periods.
Tampa Bay scored the game’s final nine points to make it close, and on the final play of the game, Baker Mayfield completed a 38-yard pass out of the back of the end zone.
For the day, Mayfield threw for 330 yards, but he threw two interceptions.
The Bucs play at two-time World Champion Kansas City at 8:15 p.m. Sunday.
