Atlanta
Falcons
0-2
6
FINAL
31
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
1-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers cruised to a decisive 31-6 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8 of the 2026 season. With this win, the Buccaneers solidified their position in the playoff race, while the Falcons struggled to find their rhythm on both sides of the ball.
Baker Mayfield led the charge for Tampa Bay, throwing for 221 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his effectiveness in the pocket. Complementing his performance, Bucky Irving contributed significantly on the ground with 79 rushing yards, while Emeka Egbuka emerged as a key target, racking up 105 receiving yards. This offensive display proved too much for the Falcons to handle.
Defensively, the Buccaneers made crucial stops, with Vita Vea recording 1.5 sacks to apply pressure on Atlanta's offense throughout the game. Although Divine Deablo of the Falcons tallied seven total tackles, Tampa Bay's defense consistently thwarted any momentum Atlanta attempted to build. The turning point came early in the second half when a key interception by A.J. Terrell Jr. was negated by a defensive breakdown, allowing the Buccaneers to extend their lead and ultimately secure the win.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 37 | 25 | 68% | 221 | 2 | 1 | 90.0 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | QB | 23 | 11 | 48% | 103 | 0 | 0 | 60.5 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | HB | 17 | 79 | 4.6 | 18 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 12 | 69 | 5.8 | 17 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 6 | 26 | 4.3 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Derek Parish | FB | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Sean Tucker | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Ko Kieft | TE | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Payne Durham | TE | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 11 | 105 | 9.5 | 28 | 1 | 19 | 2 |
| Chris Godwin Jr | WR | 5 | 56 | 11.2 | 12 | 1 | 19 | 1 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | WR | 4 | 35 | 8.8 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 5 | 33 | 6.6 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Austin Hooper | TE | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 19 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Drake London | WR | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | — | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Ko Kieft | TE | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Anzalone | WILL | 6 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Brandon Dorlus | DT | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Divine Deablo | MIKE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rueben Bain Jr | LEDG | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Walker | LEDG | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Vita Vea | DT | 2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Avieon Terrell | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jessie Bates III | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr | REDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gervon Dexter Sr | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Roberts | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Harris | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Al-Quadin Muhammad | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keionte Scott | CB | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Demonte Capehart | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calijah Kancey | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SirVocea Dennis | MIKE | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anterio Thompson | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JD Bertrand | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Bowman Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kendal Daniels | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zach Harrison | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 1 | 1 | 4 | 34 |
| Nick Folk | K | 2 | 3 | 0 | 46 |

