Atlanta Falcons prove they are the NFC's best with win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After recently declaring that his team were the best in the NFC, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris had the chance to put his money where his mouth was. But the Buccaneers fell short against
the Atlanta Falcons who moved into top spot in the NFC South with a 27-21 win on Sunday, 7 November.
How it happened
The Falcons got out to a 14-0 lead with two touchdowns from running back Michael Turner, who was one of the major differences on the day running for 107 yards on 24 carries. But the Buccaneers fought back
with Josh Freeman throwing two touchdown passes including a short pass to Mike Williams which the wide receiver ran 58 yards to the end zone. Going into half time the Falcons were ahead 17-14.
The Falcons then took advantage of good field position, after intercepting Freeman on the Bucs first possession of the second half, when Michael Palmer caught a 5-yard pass from Matt Ryan after a short
30-yard drive for a touchdown.
The Falcons were ahead 27-14 when the Buccaneers got a third touchdown near the end of the third quarter to make things close when Micheal Spurlock ran back a kick-off 89 yards for a touchdown.
Late in the game, the Buccaneers had possession deep inside Falcons territory with a fourth and one situation from the 2-yard line. Needing a touchdown, the Buccaneers went for it, but the Falcons defence
came up with a big stop to preserve the win.
What they're saying
Despite losing the game, Morris was proud of the way his team played against one of the NFL's top teams.
"They're a good football team, make no mistake about that," he said. "We were big-time resilient against a big-time team."
After the Buccaneers were stopped by the Falcons on the 2-yard line late in the game, Buccaneers rookie defensive tackle, Gerald McCoy, put the game into perspective by saying, "We lost by a yard. That's
what this league is about."
What it all means
With the win, the Falcons improve to 6-2 and are tied atop the NFC with the New York Giants. They also move into sole possession of first place in the NFC South, as well as 2-0 record in the division.
They now get set to play another 6-2 team when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, 11 November.
The Buccaneers drop to 5-3 on the season and all the way into third place in their division. They should be able to bounce back as they take on the 1-7 Carolina Panthers next Sunday.
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