The Atlanta Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29-28 this past Thursday on primetime. With the Falcons eliminated from playoff contention, there were questions on how the team would perform against there division rival. A 37-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks was fresh in the back of their heads along with seven of their last eight games meeting the same result. Under Kirk Cousins, the team was 1-3 heading into Tampa Bay and posted a 3-6 record with Michael Penix Jr. under center. Atlanta’s 2026 first-round pick is in the hands of the Los Angeles Rams making losing an unlikley priorty. The team rallied against the Buccaneers behind some key takeaways, so let’s take a look.
Takeaways From the Falcons TNF Win Over the Buccaneers
Kyle Pitts finally breaks out
After five long seasons, the Kyle Pitts breakout game has finally arrived. A Week 15 game in the middle of Dec. left the doubters speechless. Eleven receptions for 166 yards and three touchdowns for Pitts are all career highs for the fifth year tight end. Playing on the fifth year option, Pitts is due for a contract in the 2026 offseason, and up until this point the possibility of resigning seemded doubtful. Drake London has been sidelined with a knee injury for the past four games, and in those games Pitts is averaging over 90 yards recieving and six and a half targets.
Pitts is the highest drafted tight end in it’s history and got out to a nice start with 1026 yards in his rookie season with quaterback Matt Ryan. The following two years he eclipsed 1023 total yards recieving with bottom tier quaterback play from Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder. By the time the new regime came in, London and Bijan Robinson had blossomed into top tier options which backseated Pitts’ targets. In games without London, Pitts averages nearly 80 recieving yards a game. If the Falcons can balance the workload of their talent, re-signing Pitts will be a no brainer.
Bijan Robinson takeover
The NFL’s scrimmage yard leader continued to add to his total on Thursday Night Football with an impressive 175 yards. That brings his total to 1858 total yards on the season, giving him a lead of just under 100 yards on Jonathan Taylor. Robinson averages over 130 scrimmage yards per game this season and also leads the NFL in missed tackles forced by a wide margin. Robinson’s versatility and ability to make defenders miss ranks him amongst the leagues best.
Robinson is the engine of this offense and sees the field different than every player in the NFL. Robinson ranks third in yards after contact with 830 on 40 lest rushes than the top two spots, Jonathan Taylor and James Cook. His dominance this season has gone under the radar at times because of the Falcons 5-9 record, but what he’s doing is truly generational.
Kirk-uneers
In three games starting as a Falcon, Kirk Cousins has thrown for 1158 yards and 11 touchdowns to just one interception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His performances against the Buccaneers have been nothing short of elite. Cousins took over after the Michael Penix Jr. injury in Week 11 without his top target in London. The teams’ play has been inconsistent since his takeover with a 2-2 record, but the most recent showing gives fans hope going into the last three games of the regular season that the team can compete for wins.
Cousins’ time in Atlanta has seen high highs and low lows but when it comes to beating up on the rival Buccaneers, no one has done it better. When Cousins plays with confidence and the scheme is playing to his strengths we see his game rise immensely, and when those components mix the Falcons offense can be highpowered and dangerous to the rest of the league.
Main Image: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
