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With 10 minutes left to play on Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked like they were on their way to picking up a huge win. At that point, the Bucs had a 14-point lead on Atlanta and when you get up by that much on the Falcons, the game is usually over. Going into Week 15, the Falcons had been 0-104-1 when trailing by 14 points or more in the fourth quarter over the past 25 years. 

Unfortunately for the Bucs though, they didn't walk away with the win and that's because they totally imploded in a stunning 29-28 loss that knocked them into second place in the NFC South. The Falcons committed a franchise-record 19 penalties, they missed TWO two-point conversions in the fourth quarter, and yet, they somehow still won. 

So how did that happen? Let's break down the Buccaneers implosion. 

Implosion breakdown, part I: Buccaneers defense

The defense had the first chance to put the game away for the Bucs. With Tampa Bay leading 28-14 and just 10 minutes left to play, the Bucs just needed to get a stop and that probably would have been enough to win the game, but that didn't happen. Instead, the Falcons put together an 8-play, 65-yard scoring drive that was capped by a Bijan Robinson touchdown run from six yards out. 

The Falcons went 2-for-2 on third down during the drive, including a play at Tampa Bay's 44-yard line where Kirk Cousins converted a third-and-2 by completing an 18-yard pass to Kyle Pitts. It was almost like the Bucs forgot Pitts existed on Thursday, because he ended up having a career game with 11 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns. 

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Douglas Clawson
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Robinson's touchdown came just two plays after Pitts' big catch. The Falcons went for two after the score and didn't get it, so Tampa bay was still leading 28-20 with 9:37 left to play after Atlanta's touchdown. 

Implosion breakdown, part II: Baker Mayfield's interception

The Bucs defense didn't get the job done, but Tampa Bay still could have won the game with just one scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Instead, the offense pulled a total no-show with just 28 total yards in the final period. The Buccaneers did start to move the ball on one drive, but it was cut short after Baker Mayfield got picked off by Dee Alford. 

Again, if the Bucs score any points on this drive, they probably win, but instead Mayfield threw a back-breaking interception. After the game, the Buccaneers quarterback took all the blame for the loss. 

"Can't turn the ball over, can't have that interception," Mayfield said. "You can say what you want being up two scores and the defense right there, but we have to be better on offense and it comes down to how I play. This one is on me. This falls on my shoulders."

Implosion breakdown, part III: The missed fumble recovery

After Alford's interception, the Falcons quickly moved down the field thanks to a 14-yard run by Robinson, a 15-yard run by Tyler Allgeier and a 10-yard pass from Cousins to Pitts. On a second-and-10 from Tampa Bay's 25-yard line, the Bucs appeared to get the big defensive play that they needed: After Darnell Mooney caught a pass from Cousins, Lavonte David knocked it free and the Bucs looked like they were about to make the easiest recovery in NFL history. 

Tampa Bay had SEVEN defenders around the ball and the Falcons only had Mooney, who couldn't even move because he was flat on the ground. 

In the end, Falcons offensive lineman Ryan Neuzil came in from OUT OF NOWHERE to recover the fumble and save the game for Atlanta. 

The play ended with the Falcons recovering the ball at Tampa Bay's 10-yard line, so it went in the books as a 15-yard gain. Two plays later, the non-recovery came back to haunt the Bucs when Cousins hit Pitts for a 7-yard touchdown that cut the lead to 28-26. 

The touchdown was actually reviewed for a lengthy amount of time before officials ruled that Pitts came down in-bounds. 

After the score, the Falcons went for two, and once again, they failed, which set up even more drama. 

Implosion breakdown, part IV: Buccaneers offense stumbles again

After the Falcons score, the Bucs offense had ANOTHER chance to put the game away. The Falcons had all three timeouts, so it was going to take two or three first downs to win it and the Buccaneers quickly got one of those after converting a third-and-5. After that though, things got dicey. Here were their next four plays: 

  • First-and-10 from Tampa Bay 39-yard line: Bucky Irving stopped for 4-yard loss (Falcons call final timeout at 2:24)
  • Second-and-14 from TB 35-yard line: Mayfield pass to Emeka Egbuka falls incomplete (clock stops 2:20)
  • Third-and-14 from TB 35-yard line: Mayfield sacked (Clock runs down to two-minute warning)

Mayfield had Egbuka open for a possible first down on second-and-14, but the pass went incomplete. At that point, the Falcons were out of timeouts, so if the Bucs had run the ball on the play, the clock would have run down to the two-minute warning, and then, the Bucs could have run the clock down to 1:20 before punting. Instead, the Falcons got the ball back with 1:45 left to play knowing that they only needed just a field goal to win. 

Implosion breakdown, part V: The second missed fumble recovery

For the second time in the fourth quarter, the Bucs defense made a big play, but they couldn't finish it off. On a first-and-10 from his own 47, Cousins dropped back to pass and he ended up FUMBLING after getting drilled by Haason Reddick. 

If the Buccaneers recover the ball, then the game is over, but the officials made a rare call: They ruled that it was simultaneous possession between Cousins and the Buccaneers defender. In the NFL, the tie goes to the offense, so the Falcons got to keep the ball. Even though Falcons got the recovery, they lost eight yards on the play, which sets up our final Buccaneers meltdown. 

Implosion breakdown, part VI: Bucs let the Falcons turn a third-and-28 into an eventual first down

After the sack, the Falcons were facing a second-and-18 and that quickly turned into a second-and-28 after Atlanta got flagged for holding. Following an incompletion by Cousins, it was now third-and-28 and it didn't look like there was any way Tampa Bay was going to lose at that point. On third down, Cousins hit Pitts for a 14-yard gain that gave Atlanta a much more manageable fourth-and-14. 

On fourth down, the Falcons converted with a miracle 21-yard completion from Cousins to David Sills that gave Atlanta the ball at Tampa Bay's 36-yard line. 

From there, it was pretty clear the Buccaneers weren't going to win. 

After the Sills catch, the Falcons quickly had to spike the ball to stop the clock and the Bucs imploded again when Vita Vea got called for a defensive offsides that gave Atlanta five free yards. Cousins then threw one more six-yard completion to set up Zane Gonzalez's game-winning field goal attempt from 43 yards out. 

It was a colossal meltdown by the Bucs and it marked the first time since 2003 that they lost a game where they led by 14 points or more in the fourth quarter. This is the kind of game that the Falcons usually lose -- again, Atlanta had 19 PENALTIES -- but the Buccaneers managed to out-Falcons a Falcons team that had nothing to play for after being eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday. 

The Buccaneers now have lost six of their last eight games, including two straight that have come in the division. The only silver lining for the Bucs is that they still control their playoff fate: If they win out, they'll win the NFC South. The only reason that's possible is because they face the Panthers twice over the final three weeks.