The main takeaways, moments and more that determined the outcome of Thursdays game between Falcons and Buccaneers.

Terrin Waack

TAMPA, Fla. The Atlanta Falcons rallied late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium.

Final score:29-28

Why it's important:The Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 14, so this win is good for morale in Atlanta.

Key takeaway:The Falcons averaged 7.2 yards per play. The offense was moving the ball well. However, Atlanta had 19 penalties for 125 yards, including several that negated impactful plays. Ten of those infractions were on the offense.

Key moment:Zane Gonzalez's game-winning field goal as time expired, sealed the victory for Atlanta in a back-and-forth game that came down to the very final play.

Standout performance: Kyle Pitts Sr. The Falcons tight end caught 11 of his 12 targets for 152 yards and three touchdowns. He became the eighth tight end in NFL history to have at least three receiving touchdowns and 150 yards receiving in a single game. The most recent to do so was Shannon Sharpe for the Denver Broncos in 1996. So, Pitts is the only tight end to accomplish this feat in the current century.

Number to know:19. The number of penalties called on the Falcons against the Buccaneers. It was the most ever by the Falcons in a single game.

Player milestones:

• Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. sacked Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield twice in the first half, giving him eight sacks this season. That's the most by a Falcons rookie since 1982, when sacks became an official individual stat. Hall of Fame defensive end Claude Humphrey is officially recognized as the franchise leader with 11.5 sacks in 1968.
• Tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. scored on an 8-yard reception in the second quarter, putting him at two touchdowns this season. He has now scored multiple touchdowns in four consecutive seasons, which is tied for the third-longest streak ever by a Falcons tight end. The longest is Alge Crumpler, who scored multiple touchdowns in seven consecutive seasons from 2001-07.
• Quarterback Kirk Cousins' 8-yard touchdown pass to Pitts marked his 292nd career touchdown pass. Cousins now has the 16th-most passing touchdowns in NFL history, breaking a tie with quarterback Warren Moon, who had 291.

Injury updates:

• Cornerback Mike Hughes went down after a play in the first quarter. Athletic trainers helped him up and off the field. Cobee Bryant filled in immediately afterwards. The Falcons announced shortly after Hughes was questionable to return with an ankle injury. His status was downgraded to doubtful in the third quarter.

A quick tweet:Tori McElhaney, Will McFadden and Terrin Waack share their gut reactions to Thursday's outcome in 280 characters or fewer.

• McElhaney: I didn't think anything could top last year's Thursday night thriller between these two teams... then this game happened and I fear I stand corrected.
• McFadden: Kyle Pitts. (That's it. That's the tweet.)
• Waack: Officials were throwing flags like Oprah gives out cars.

Setting the storylines:

• Week 15:Inactives|Practice squad elevations

• Vote Falcons players into the 2026 Pro Bowl games.

• Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson detailed his unit'sthird-down performanceas of late. He and the Falcons hope to flip production through the remainder of the season, like they did with red-zone efficiency.
• Falcons running backs coachMichael Pitre missed the gamedue to a personal matter. Offensive assistants K.J. Black and Patrick Kramer jointly filled the role.
• The Falcons were granteda 2026 international home game. The location, date and opponent will be confirmed at a later time.
• Former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and offensive lineman Alex Mack were inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame.
• Catch up on all the news that came out in the lead-up to Thursday's gamehere.

Looking forward:The Falcons play the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16 at State Farm Stadium.

The Cardinals will play their Week 15 game against the Houston Texans on Sunday at NRG Stadium.

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