Buccaneers 31, Falcons 24: Immediate Reactions

The Buccaneers opened up their 2016 season on Sunday afternoon with a 31-24 win on the road over the Atlanta Falcons. Here, we have immediate observations and reactions from Tampa Bay’s first season-opening win since 2012.

The Buccaneers took the field at the Georgia Dome on Sunday afternoon looking for their third straight win over the Falcons, and they got it. A late touchdown in the first half gave Tampa Bay a 17-13 lead heading into the locker room before two scores in two drives to start the third quarter extended the lead to 31-13. Atlanta fought its way back into it, but the Bucs held on late in the fourth to give Dirk Koetter his first win as a head coach in the NFL.

Observations and Reactions- General

-The Bucs looked like they were going to get off to a good start early, forcing a three-and-out to start the game before kicking a field goal. But, Atlanta came back strong to take a 10-3 lead after one quarter.

-Tampa Bay’s 21-point run in the middle of the game was impressive. It was nice to see a real effort to score late in the first half instead of playing it conservative.

-Things did get scary for the Bucs after leading by 18 in the third quarter. Allowing Atlanta to get back into the game wasn’t a good sign, especially with the offense getting shut down after taking the big lead.

-The Bucs stayed fairly disciplined this afternoon, committing just six penalties for 48 yards.

Observations and Reactions- Offense

–Jameis Winston got off to a slow start, struggling on the Bucs’ first three drives. He was two-of-six for 11 yards and an interception before responding in a big way after the pick. He went six-for-six for 59 yards and a touchdown on the next drive. He finished the first half 17-of-24 for 151 yards and two scores.

-Winston had a big third quarter, but wasn’t as effective in the fourth. Overall, he finished the day 23-of-33 for 281 yards and four touchdowns. His four touchdown passes tied a Buccaneer record for most in a season-opener.

-The Bucs have something special in the backfield. Doug Martin carried the ball 18 times for 62 yards, while adding 34 receiving yards on five catches. Charles Sims was effective as a receiver out of the backfield, catching three passes for 32 yards.

-Surprisingly enough, Brandon Myers scored the Bucs’ first touchdown of the year on a four-yard pass from Winston.

-Tampa Bay did a great job with the up-tempo offense to end the first half. With 1:45 left, the Bucs went 75 yards for a touchdown. Charles Sims caught a short pass out of the backfield before taking it past a host of Atlanta defenders for a 23-yard score.

-The offense opened the second half with a quick scoring drive, highlighted by an incredible 30-yard touchdown catch by Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

–Mike Evans started slow, but a big third quarter led to an overall strong day. He caught five passes for 99 yards and a touchdown.

Observations and Reactions- Defense

–Vernon Hargreaves blew coverage on Atlanta’s second drive, leading to a 59-yard gain for Mohamed Sanu. The Tampa Bay defense responded well, holding the Falcons to a field goal in the red zone. Hargreaves did come up with a big tackle later in the drive before the Atlanta field goal. Overall, it was a pretty solid day for the 2016 first-rounder.

-The Bucs got some early bad news as Jacquies Smith left in the first quarter after injuring his knee. He didn’t return, which certainly isn’t a good sign considering the impact he was projected to make for the team’s pass rush.

–Gerald McCoy picked up his first sack of the year in the third quarter, but was flagged after the play for having fun. He came up huge on the last play of Atlanta’s final drive, tipping Matt Ryan‘s pass, which fell incomplete.

–Robert Ayers had a good Buccaneer debut, getting consistent pressure on the quarterback. He picked up his first sack of the year.

-The Bucs finished the afternoon with three sacks. Ayers, McCoy and Kwon Alexander each picked up one.

-Speaking of Alexander, he had a big day. The second-year linebacker totaled 17 tackles (15 solo) and a sack.

-The Tampa Bay defense finished the day without a turnover, but that may be one of the only real negatives for Mike Smith‘s unit.

Observations and Reactions- Special Teams

–Roberto Aguayo‘s regular season debut went well, as he kicked a 43-yard field goal and made all four of his extra point attempts. He had a good day with kickoffs as well, sending all of his kicks into the end zone.

–Bryan Anger was solid today as well, punting five times for an average of 49.4 yards.

-New Buc Cecil Shorts saw time as the kick returner, but didn’t get a chance to take any kicks out of the end zone.

Final Thoughts

All-around, it was a nice performance by the Bucs to start the year. Jameis Winston led the way offensively, while Kwon Alexander, Robert Ayers and Gerald McCoy held things down on defense. There were some negatives, however, as the team still needed a late defensive stop to hold on after leading by 18 in the second half. That being said, there isn’t too much to be disappointed about with the season-opening win. To put things in perspective, remember that Tampa Bay was beaten 42-14 by the Titans at home to open the 2015 season. This was a big day for the Bucs as they look to turn things around for good.

With the loss by Carolina Thursday night and a great come from behind win by Oakland, the Buccaneers are in first place in the NFC South.

Tampa Bay will be on the road again next Sunday, taking on the Arizona Cardinals. Kickoff is set for 4:05.