Atlanta
Falcons
4-3
20
FINAL
17
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
1-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a closely contested battle, the Atlanta Falcons narrowly defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17 in Week 8 of the 2026 season. This victory was crucial for the Falcons as they strive to solidify their playoff positioning, while the Buccaneers look to regroup after a tough loss at home.
Baker Mayfield led the Buccaneers with a solid performance, throwing for 192 yards and a touchdown. Despite the loss, he managed to connect effectively with Emeka Egbuka, who topped the receiving charts for Tampa with 61 yards. On the ground, Bijan Robinson was the standout for Atlanta, racking up 78 rushing yards and playing a vital role in the Falcons' offensive strategy.
Defensively, Divine Deablo was a key contributor for the Falcons, recording 1.5 sacks that disrupted Mayfield's rhythm. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when a crucial interception by Jacob Parrish of the Buccaneers kept the game within reach, but ultimately, the Falcons' defense held strong, sealing the win and denying Tampa Bay a final scoring opportunity.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 36 | 20 | 192 | 1 | 0 | 79.8 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 30 | 16 | 145 | 1 | 1 | 63.8 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 14 | 78 | 5.6 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Brian Robinson Jr | HB | 14 | 63 | 4.5 | 1 | 22 | 0 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 6 | 43 | 7.2 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 11 | 35 | 3.2 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Trey Sermon | HB | 4 | 26 | 6.5 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Sean Tucker | HB | 3 | 7 | 2.3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Jakob Johnson | FB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 5 | 61 | 12.2 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| Chris Godwin Jr | WR | 5 | 59 | 11.8 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 3 | 51 | 17.0 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 5 | 46 | 9.2 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Tyler Harrell | WR | 4 | 32 | 8.0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Austin Hooper | TE | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Drake London | WR | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Trey Sermon | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divine Deablo | MIKE | 12 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Anzalone | WILL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Avieon Terrell | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vita Vea | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jessie Bates III | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Walker | LEDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Bowman Jr | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harold Perkins Jr | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Harris | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Yasir Abdullah | SAM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keionte Scott | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demonte Capehart | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rueben Bain Jr | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calijah Kancey | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Za'Darius Smith | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Nelson | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Rozeboom | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Dorlus | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gervon Dexter Sr | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marcus Williams | FS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 1 | 1 | 2 | 49 |
| Nick Folk | K | 2 | 2 | 2 | 41 |

