Post Game Thread: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

#Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

[ESPN Gamecast](https://www.espn.com/nfl/game/_/gameId/401772948/falcons-buccaneers)

Raymond James Stadium- Tampa, FL

Network(s): Prime Video [(All prime games are also streamed on twitch for free)](https://www.twitch.tv/primevideo)

***

|Time Clock|
|:--:|
|Final|

**Scoreboard**

||Q1|Q2|Q3|Q4|Total|
|:--:|:--:|:--:|:--:|:--:|:--:|
|ATL|0|14|0|15|29|
|TB|7|6|7|8|28|


**Scoring Plays**

| Team | Quarter | Type | Description |
|:--|:--|:--|:--|
| TB | 1 | TD | Sean Tucker 1 Yd Rush (Chase McLaughlin Kick) |
| ATL | 2 | TD | Kyle Pitts Sr. 8 Yd pass from Kirk Cousins (Zane Gonzalez Kick) |
| TB | 2 | FG | Chase McLaughlin 49 Yd Field Goal |
| ATL | 2 | TD | Kyle Pitts Sr. 17 Yd pass from Kirk Cousins (Zane Gonzalez Kick) |
| TB | 2 | FG | Chase McLaughlin 52 Yd Field Goal |
| TB | 3 | TD | Devin Culp 6 Yd pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin Kick) |
| TB | 4 | TD | Chris Godwin Jr. 3 Yd pass from Baker Mayfield (Baker Mayfield Pass to Chris Godwin Jr. for Two-Point Conversion) |
| ATL | 4 | TD | Bijan Robinson 6 Yd Rush (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) |
| ATL | 4 | TD | Kyle Pitts Sr. 7 Yd pass from Kirk Cousins (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) |
| ATL | 4 | FG | Zane Gonzalez 43 Yd Field Goal |




**Passing Leaders**

|Team|Player|C/ATT|YDS|TD|INT|SACKS|
|:--|:--|--:|--:|--:|--:|--:|
| ATL | Kirk Cousins | 30/44 | 373 | 3 | 0 | 1-8 |
| TB | Baker Mayfield | 19/34 | 277 | 2 | 1 | 5-27 |

**Rushing Leaders**

|Team|Player|CAR|YDS|AVG|TD|LONG|
|:--|:--|--:|--:|--:|--:|--:|
| ATL | Bijan Robinson | 19 | 93 | 4.9 | 1 | 14 |
| TB | Bucky Irving | 16 | 60 | 3.8 | 0 | 16 |

**Receiving Leaders**

|Team|Player|REC|YDS|AVG|TD|LONG|TGTS|
|:--|:--|--:|--:|--:|--:|--:|--:|
| ATL | Kyle Pitts Sr. | 11 | 166 | 15.1 | 3 | 36 | 12 |
| TB | Mike Evans | 6 | 132 | 22.0 | 0 | 45 | 12 |


***

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Panthers now lead the NFC South as the Bucs have lost 5 of their last 6 games.

Last time the Panthers made the playoffs was back in 2017. Time flies.

They will face the slumping Bucs twice in these last 4 games.

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[Fowler] Bucs were visibly disgusted on the sideline in the final minute. Mike Evans, trying to control his emotions, walked clear into the tunnel before the winning kick, with several others following.
https://bsky.app/profile/nflnewsposter.bsky.social/post/3m7rbjcevyn26

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Bowles: Bucs' 'inexcusable' loss falls on players
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47283496/todd-bowles-says-bucs-inexcusable-loss-falls-players

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[The Athletic] Falcons RB Bijan Robinson apologized for using a homophobic phrase on the “Thursday Night Football Nightcap” show following Atlanta’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "I recognize the mistake and make sure to do better in the future."
https://bsky.app/profile/theathletic.com/post/3m7sczeutfs2x

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[Schefter] Jets HC Aaron Glenn announced that QB Brady Cook will start Sunday vs. the Jaguars.
https://www.espn.com/contributor/adam-schefter/c001d74553111

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[Schefter] Steelers standout TJ Watt underwent surgery Thursday to repair a partially collapsed lung suffered Wednesday, as @JJWatt reported. TJ Watt is expected to be discharged from the hospital today but he is unlikely to play Monday night versus the Dolphins.
https://www.espn.com/contributor/adam-schefter/9cc1549bd33bd

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Can Tua Tagovailoa win first below-freezing game Monday night in Pittsburgh? Tagovailoa is 0-5 when the temp is below 40
https://www.nfl.com/news/can-tua-tagovailoa-win-first-below-freezing-game-monday-night-in-pittsburgh

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Why go for 2 when you are losing by 14

Since some of you are sometimes confused why head coaches go for 2 point attempts when losing by 14 and you score a touchdown, I figure I do a brief explanation of why it makes sense and teams ON AVERAGE should almost always go for it on this situation.

Mathematically makes sense:

2 pt conversions have a 50% chance of making it.

If you are losing by 14, it gives you a better win% converting a 2pt attempt than kicking thr extra point (which has a 96% sucess rate).

If you don't make it, you can go for it on the next score to tie.

Since there is a 50% sucess rate on 2pt attempts, ON AVERAGE you should convert 1 of every 2 attempts, math says one of those will be successful, MATHEMATICALLY speaking you are pretty much guaranteed to at least tie the game with a pretty good chance of winning it if you convert the 1st, 2 point try.

As oppose to kicking the extra point on both scores which has a much lower win%.

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Matthew Stafford is currently 277 yards behind Philip Rivers for #7 on the all-time passing yards leaderboard. Can Rivers hold him off for another year?
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/pass_yds_career.htm

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[Pelissero] The Chiefs ruled out WR Hollywood Brown (personal) and three OL -- Trey Smith, Jawaan Taylor and Wanya Morris -- for Sunday's game vs. the Chargers.
https://bsky.app/profile/nflnewsreposterbot.bsky.social/post/3m7sutnzbl22x

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NFL viewership highest through 14 weeks since 1989
https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2025/12/nfl-viewership-week-14-recap/

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How did TJ Watt get a Lung Puncture? (Perspective from a Physical Therapist Certified and Trained in the technique)

After hearing the news on TJ Watt, I wanted to share some info for those that are curious about what it entails. I’m a physical therapist certified in my state for dry needling, and I use it regularly in clinical practice.


What is dry needling?
Dry needling is a treatment technique that uses a very thin, solid filament needle to target muscle, tendon, or connective tissue in order to reduce pain, normalize muscle activity, and improve movement. It’s called “dry” needling because there is no medication or liquid inside the needle. Unlike an injection, nothing is being delivered into the body. The needle itself is solid, not hollow, which allows it to be extremely small in diameter.


Because of this, dry needling does not cause the same tissue disruption, pain, or systemic effects that people associate with shots or injections. Most patients describe the sensation as pressure, a brief muscle twitch, or temporary soreness rather than sharp pain. The goal is to stimulate a local neuromuscular response, not to inject anything into the tissue.


In rehabilitation settings, dry needling is used as one tool among many. It is commonly paired with therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, mobility work, and movement retraining. In my own clinical experience, I’ve seen particularly strong results in conditions such as cervicogenic headaches, chronic low back pain, persistent muscle spasm, tendon-related injuries, and plantar fasciitis. In many cases, these were patients who had already tried multiple other approaches without meaningful improvement, and dry needling helped unlock progress when combined with other therapy methods.


Safety
From a safety standpoint, dry needling has an extremely low rate of serious complications when performed by trained providers. Large studies show that major adverse events are essentially nonexistent in physical therapy practice. One study reviewing over 7,600 dry needling treatments performed by physical therapists reported zero major adverse effects.
Minor side effects are more common and typically include temporary soreness, bruising, or localized discomfort. This is often related to the technique used. Physical therapists frequently use methods such as pistoning or fanning within the muscle to achieve a therapeutic response. The resulting soreness is similar to what someone might feel after an intense workout rather than a sign of tissue damage.


Concerns about lung injury are understandable but need context. Pneumothorax is a known but extremely rare complication. Many physical therapists are trained to avoid needling over lung fields altogether. In my own practice, I do not needle directly over thoracic regions where lung tissue could be at risk. When rib or intercostal pain is treated, there are ways to minimize risk, including shallow angles, anatomical positioning, or ultrasound guidance. Even when this complication occurs, it typically leads to observation or short-term hospitalization and is not life-threatening.


Training
Physical therapists are extensively trained in musculoskeletal and human anatomy. The majority of PT education is directly connected to understanding muscles, joints, nerves, blood vessels, and how these structures interact during movement. This background makes physical therapists particularly well qualified to use techniques like dry needling safely and appropriately within a rehabilitation plan. I haven't yet seen what professional was practicing whether it was a PT or team physician but either way, both would be more than qualified.


For those interested in the research of major adverse effects:


Adverse effects of dry needling: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25125935/
adverse effects in acupuncture: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19420954/

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[Russini] Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman is among the names on the candidates list for the Giants’ head coaching vacancy.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6885980/2025/12/13/nfl-rumors-news-joe-burrow-marcus-freeman-giants/

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[Schefter] Colts are activating Philip Rivers to their active roster from their practice squad, paving the way for him to make his first NFL start in five years Sunday at Seattle. By signing to the active roster today, Rivers also now will go from being a semi-finalist for this year’s Pro Football
https://www.espn.com/contributor/adam-schefter/d820c5ea375ac

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Joe Burrow update, per
@DMRussini
:

• Doesn't want out of Cincinnati
• Certain parts of Bengals operations, with the smallest coaching & scouting staffs in the league, have previously frustrated Burrow
• Burrow is just tired of losing, Week 14 post-game remarks were said out of a desire to win

Won’t want out of cinci but a staff change may be happening

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[Schultz] Trevon Diggs, Cowboys relationship has "soured" and "been severed."
https://bsky.app/profile/fantasynflnews.bsky.social/post/3m7vahuddws2a

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In seven seasons, Andrew Luck missed 26 games due to injury. In six seasons, Joe Burrow has missed 22 games due to injury.

Luck ended up retiring prior to the 2019 NFL season, which would have been his eighth in the league.

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The Atlanta Falcons, who gave up their 2026 1st round pick, are 5-9 while going 2-5 in one-score games. All 5 losses where they had either a late lead or chance to tie. The difference between 5-9 and 10-4 is the difference between pick #10 and #27 (ignoring playoff results).

The Falcons are 5-9 on the season.
In seven one-score games they have gone 2-5.

# One-Score Games:

* Wk1 - Lost to Tampa Bay 23-20
* Wk4 - beat Washington 34-27
* Wk9 - lost to New England 24-23
* Wk10 - lost to Indianapolis 31-25
* Wk11 - lost to Carolina 30-27
* Wk13 - lost to New York Jets 27-24
* Wk15 - beat Tampa Bay 29-28

# Blown Opportunities:

In those 5 losses, Atlanta held leads in four of them & had an opportunity to tie the fifth.

* Wk1 vs TB: M.Penix scores a TD to go ahead 20-17 with 2:17 remaining. However, Tampa Bay scores a TD (missed XP) on the next possession. The Falcons even get back in position for a game-tying FG to send it to overtime, but Koo misses it.
* Wk9 at NE: After being down 17-24, the Falcons score what should be a game-tying TD with 4:14 remaining. But Romo misses the XP and the Patriots maintain the lead, eventually winning 24-23.
* Wk10 vs IND: The Colts have a 22-17 lead in the 4th until the Falcons drive down the field and Allgeier gets in the endzone. With the two-point conversion the Falcons take a 25-22 lead. But with just 1:44 left the Colts are able to get a field goal and send it to OT, where they win.
* Wk11 vs CAR: The Falcons kick a FG to go up 24-19 with 2:43 remaining. But the Panthers come back to score the go-ahead TD. Atlanta would come back to tie it, but then lost in OT.
* Wk13 at NYJ: A Cousin-Sills TD gives Atlanta a lead with 8:46 left. But the Jets would come back to score both a TD & FG to win.

# Draft Position:

They gave up their 2026 first round pick to the Rams for pick #26 in 2025.

That pick currently sits at #10 in the draft order.

Speaking hypothetically... If those close one-score games swung differently and the Falcons had a bit more luck fall their way...

* They could be as high as 10-4, holding the division lead, the NFC's #3 seed, and the draft pick would sit at #27 (ignoring playoff results).
* Winning all five games is a stretch, obviously. But if they just go 3-2 in those games they are 8-6 and in 1st place in the South, with the 20th pick (ignoring playoff results).
* Even if they just hold on for two of them, going 2-3, they are 7-7 and in the thick of the race for the NFC-South. (Making the playoffs means your pick is between #19-#32)

While the player they got (James Pearce Jr.) leads all rookies in pressures is clearly a hit, the trade itself has been widely panned.

Does that trade look as bad if they have a little more luck in one-score games and in contention for the NFC South?








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[Schefter] Daniel Jones underwent surgery Tuesday in New York that is expected to sideline him for six to eight months, giving the Indianapolis Colts quarterback the ability to be fully cleared for the start of next summer's training camp, per sources.
https://www.threads.com/@adamschefter/post/DSN_vTZFY2c?xmt=AQF0MwXddUtmCZZGBYu7HJcdwfWR-CWU157DKslZ8apXBBPDygEZ-1t-YQr7-4B4i6-ffPI&slof=1

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Jets’ defense on pace to force the fewest turnovers in a season in NFL history
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/jets-defense-on-pace-to-force-the-fewest-turnovers-in-a-season-in-nfl-history

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