TAMPA — If you tend to worry, this would be a good time to start.

Tampa Bay’s reign in the NFC South suffered a major blow on Sunday with a 31-26 loss to the Falcons. It was the Bucs’ third loss in their last four games, including two against first-place Atlanta.

The offense performed admirably without injured receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin — they actually outscored the Falcons 432-394 — but critical turnovers and another shaky effort from the defense doomed the Bucs.

Tampa Bay got the ball back with less than a minute on the clock and no timeouts and drove to the Atlanta 33, but a false start penalty and two incomplete passes ended the game. Rakim Jarrett caught a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game, but was well outside the back of the end zone.

Plays of the day

Several coaching decisions — both conservative and aggressive — backfired for the Bucs.

At the end of the first half, the Bucs had fourth-and-3 from the Atlanta 34 with 1:09 left. Considering how Atlanta manhandled Tampa Bay’s defense, it was an odd decision to kick a field goal and take the ball with them time to return to the Falcons. After Chase McLaughlin kicked a 52-yard field goal, the Falcons actually drove 49 yards in 1:03 and kicked a field goal of their own.

Trailing 24-17, the Bucs reached the Atlanta 37, but then they got unconventional and tried a flea flicker. Mayfield ended up throwing an interception. As if that wasn’t enough, the Bucs attempted a fake punt on their next possession and gave the ball back to the Falcons at the Tampa Bay 36. Six plays later, Atlanta scored a touchdown.

game ball

Early in the game, 11 of Mayfield’s 18 touchdown passes went to Evans and Godwin. It was worth wondering what the Bucs would do in red zone situations. Question asked and answered. Cade Otton caught two short TD passes to keep Tampa Bay’s hopes alive. A week after his career-high 100 yards receiving against the Ravens, Otton had nine receptions for 81 yards on Sunday.

Keep an eye on it

It will be interesting to see how Tampa Bay’s offense develops from here. The Bucs were fine when they weren’t greedy. They ran the ball exceptionally well in the first quarter and had success with screen and swing passes. The problem arose when they tried to push the ball downfield on deeper passes. Whether it was poor passes/decisions from Mayfield or poor routes from inexperienced receivers, the long passing game was mostly a disaster.

NFC South update

Not only are the Bucs behind the Falcons in the division, they will also lose a head-to-head tiebreaker. Unless there’s an Atlanta collapse or the Bucs pull off a few upsets in November and December, it’s hard to see a path to re-establishing themselves as South champions. A wild card isn’t out of the question, but the Bucs have put themselves in a hole with two losses to Atlanta. The Saints and Panthers both face strong AFC opponents in later games on Sunday. The season threatens to fail for both sides.

Next

They have lost consecutive games, including a crucial divisional matchup. Their two best offensive players are on the shelf. And now the Bucs have a road game against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Followed by a week-long showdown against the 49ers. Yay!

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