In a crucial game to gain playoff momentum, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended up losing devastatingly, as division rival Atlanta won on a last-second field goal, 29-28.
Mayfield connected on 19-of-34 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns. Mike Evans came up big in his return with six catches for 132 yards. However, Mayfield also threw an interception and was sacked five times, losing 27 yards.
The Falcons’ defense seemed to feast on the star quarterback, harassing him throughout the evening. Despite leading by two touchdowns, the home team collapsed and lost by a point to the non-playoff team led by Kirk Cousins.
Following the disappointing outcome, Mayfield took the podium to express his disappointment in the overall effort. According to the star quarterback, a lot of the blame for his team’s loss rested on his shoulders.
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Mayfield refused to point fingers at the Bucs’ defense or his teammates’ fumbles, mentioning his interception and a missed connection with Emeka Egbuka as mistakes he made in the loss.
“Disappointing, obviously, but it falls on my shoulders. Can’t turn the ball over. Can’t have that interception. Gotta hit Mek in stride on that third down. Listen, you can say what you want about 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,” he said.
“This one is going to haunt me. This falls on my shoulders,” a dejected Mayfield told reporters.
Tampa Bay trailed 14-13 at halftime, but then went ahead with an unanswered touchdown in the third quarter. They tacked on another eight points in the fourth to go up two scores and seemed like they should be able to secure a win.
However, Cousins and the Falcons pressed on, scoring 15 points in the fourth, with Zane Gonzalez nailing a 43-yard game-winning field goal.
The veteran Cousins finished with 373 yards and three touchdowns on his 30-of-44 completions. He was sacked just once with no interceptions, guiding the Falcons to a 5-9 record with their comeback win.
Tampa Bay falls to 7-7 overall and is now on the outside looking in for the NFC Playoffs. They’re currently projected as No. 9 overall, putting them below the NFC North’s 8-5 Detroit Lions.
As it stands, NFL.com gives them a 53 percent chance of reaching the postseason. With three games left, the Bucs’ two upcoming games against the division-leading Carolina Panthers have taken on major significance for Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes.
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