Buccaneers rally to beat Falcons after missed last-second game-tying field goal

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers eked out a messy 23-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons, stunning the Atlanta crowd with a game-leading touchdown in the final minutes. A missed extra point left the door open for Atlanta to tie things up in the final seconds — to no avail.

With a minute left on the clock, Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. marched the team down the field, picking up several big gains. But on one of those big gains, a long pass to Bijan Robinson, the officials reviewed the previous play as Penix spiked the ball.

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With the review, the referees ruled that Robinson had stepped out of bounds earlier, setting the ball at the Tampa Bay 30-yard line, and negating the spike. The Falcons lost four yards as a result of the replay review, but got it back on the next play with a four-yard pass to Kyle Pitts Sr.

Atlanta kicker Younghoe Koo had a chance to potentially send the game into overtime but missed a 44-yard, game-tying field-goal attempt.

Right before that final sequence, Tampa Bay had emerged with the lead after a key touchdown drive in the last two minutes of the game. The Buccaneers got a huge boost from a costly roughing-the-passer penalty on Ruke Orhorhoro, who tackled Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield as he was throwing the ball away.

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As a result, the Bucs got 15 extra yards, before Mayfield connected with rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka for a 25-yard touchdown with a minute left in the game.

Bucs kicker Chase McLaughlin missed the PAT, leaving Tampa Bay exposed with only a three-point lead. But though Penix Jr. efficiently moved the Falcons down the field, it wasn’t enough, and Atlanta was left with a brutal 23-20 loss at home to start the season.

Earlier in the game, it didn’t take long for the Falcons to get on the board, with Penix and Robinson connecting for a 50-yard touchdown on the third play. For Tampa Bay, meanwhile, the magical connection was Mayfield and Egbuka, with the pair connecting for two total touchdowns.

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With Atlanta down by one score in the fourth quarter, Penix sprinted the final four yards and stretched to the end zone to take the lead. The Bucs still had enough time to rally.

Overall, it was a solid showing from Penix, who went 27 of 42 for 298 yards and two touchdowns — one passing and one rushing. Mayfield went 17 of 32 for 176 yards, but had three touchdown passes and a higher QB rating (99.3, versus 93.2 for Penix). In the end, the game came down to a couple of yards, and those couple of points.