Tampa Bay Buccaneers fall short in a 36-30 overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons, with missed tackles leading to a decisive Kirk Cousins touchdown pass to KhaDarel Hodge.
BollywoodFever: Too many missed tackles turned into a huge missed opportunity for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who fell 36-30 in overtime to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Tampa Bay surrendered 509 yards passing and four touchdowns to Kirk Cousins, including a 45-yard game-winning strike to KhaDarel Hodge.
A pivotal missed tackle by Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum on the final play left Hodge free for the decisive touchdown. “The guy took off to make the play,” head coach Todd Bowles said of McCollum. “He just missed the ball and he missed the tackle. … Guys were where they were supposed to be.”

The loss drops the Buccaneers (3-2) into a tie for first place in the NFC South with the Falcons (3-2) and dampens Tampa Bay’s plans for a fourth consecutive division title. They now face another divisional road matchup against the New Orleans Saints on October 13.
Despite the defensive lapses, quarterback Baker Mayfield emphasized that the offense also had missed opportunities. Mayfield completed 19 of 24 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns, but the Bucs failed to close out the game after leading 30-27 in the fourth quarter.
Bucs safety Christian Izen echoed the need for improvement, saying, “We just have to get better. We can’t let one loss ruin the season.” With leadership in the locker room, the team is focused on rebounding for the remainder of the season.
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