The Falcons came out completely flat against the Buccaneers. Devoid of any perceptible offense and sporting a secondary that continually gave up first downs, it was unsurprising to see Atlanta down by 21 points in the third quarter.
What was surprising, however, was the grit and mettle the Falcons showed to claw back to within a touchdown in the waning minutes of the game, only to have their comeback attempt thwarted by one of the worst roughing-the-passer calls you’ll ever see. It was eyeball-meltingly awful, and helped to seal Tampa Bay’s victory when the Falcons were threatening.