Atlanta
Falcons
4-8
26
FINAL
21
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
8-4
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 18 matchup, the Atlanta Falcons topped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a final score of 26-21, securing a crucial victory as the regular season came to a close. The win not only solidified the Falcons' playoff positioning but also showcased their resilience in a tightly contested game.
Caden Durham was a standout for Atlanta, rushing for 92 yards and consistently moving the chains. Meanwhile, Julian Sayin of the Buccaneers put on a show through the air, throwing for 211 yards and three touchdowns, demonstrating his ability to lead an explosive offense. T.J. Moore also made his mark, racking up 85 receiving yards and providing Sayin with a reliable target downfield.
Defensively, the Buccaneers struggled to contain the Falcons’ ground game, allowing Durham to find success on multiple drives. The game turned when the Falcons’ defense made a crucial stop late in the fourth quarter, forcing a turnover on downs and allowing Atlanta to run out the clock, sealing their victory. Drue Tranquill led the defensive effort for Tampa Bay with 12 total tackles, but it wasn't enough to change the outcome in this nail-biter.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Sayin | QB | 31 | 19 | 61% | 211 | 3 | 0 | 113.7 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 28 | 18 | 64% | 161 | 1 | 0 | 91.5 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caden Durham | HB | 18 | 92 | 5.1 | 18 | 1 | 20 | 2 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 14 | 86 | 6.1 | 35 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| Gavin Harris | FB | 13 | 46 | 3.5 | 20 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Kwabena Roos | HB | 6 | 13 | 2.2 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Josh Downs | WR | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Julian Sayin | QB | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Rusty VanWetzinga | FB | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Tavares Wayne | HB | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 3 | 2 | 0.7 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Rick Durbin | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy Tremble | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T.J. Moore | WR | 7 | 85 | 12.1 | 13 | 1 | 25 | 1 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 4 | 58 | 14.5 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Josh Downs | WR | 7 | 54 | 7.7 | 21 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Tommy Tremble | TE | 5 | 50 | 10.0 | 18 | 1 | 15 | 1 |
| Rick Durbin | WR | 2 | 25 | 12.5 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Jerry Jeudy | WR | 2 | 25 | 12.5 | — | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Hakeem Wanogho | WR | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | — | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| Tyler Brown | WR | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Kwabena Roos | HB | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Ja'Tavion Sanders | TE | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | — | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Caden Durham | HB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Rusty VanWetzinga | FB | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drue Tranquill | WILL | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Quinyon Mitchell | CB | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Quintavius Johnson | REDG | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Donovan Ezeiruaku | REDG | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr | REDG | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey Santiago | SAM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jayden Bellamy | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Redmond | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tuli Tuipulotu | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miles Morrison | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Dorlus | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Riley Moss | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Braden Fiske | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Joey Barden | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Heldt | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LT Overton | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tucker Cooper | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jared Smith | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kris Harris | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Drayk Bowen | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brock Taylor | K | 1 | 1 | 3 | 48 |
| Joshua Karty | K | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |

