Baker Mayfield takes the blame for the 4th quarter collapse against the Falcons

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers crashed against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football. The Bucs couldn’t put Atlanta down despite blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter on their home court. Kirk Cousins ​​delivers for the Falcons with three goals in the final quarter, including the game winner. Tampa Bay fell to 7-7 with the brutal 29-28 loss.

The Buccaneers have now lost back-to-back games against division rivals who have already been eliminated from the playoffs. With the season circling the drain, Baker Mayfield took the blame for the team’s latest defeat. “Obviously disappointing. But it falls on my shoulders. I can’t turn the ball over. I can’t get an interception. And then, I have to hit Emeka (Egbuk) in a big step on that third down,” Mayfield told reporters.

“Look, you can say what you want about having a two-point lead and defense. But we have to be better on offense. It comes down to how I play. This is going to haunt me. This falls on my shoulders.”

“This will haunt me, this falls on my shoulders.”

—Baker Mayfield after the Bucs’ loss to the Falcons pic.tvitter.com/1KZUVdArFk

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 12, 2025

Buccaneers flop against Falcons on TNF

The Buccaneers took a 28-14 touchdown lead early in the fourth quarter. The Falcons fought back, but still trailed by eight after failing to convert a two-pointer. Then Mayfield threw an interception, which Atlanta capitalized on.

While the Falcons pulled to within two points, the Buccaneers still had the ball with 3:35 left. A steady clock-killing drive would give Tampa Bay a narrow victory.

Unfortunately, the Bucs were forced to punt and Atlanta took over with 1:49 left in the game. Cousins ​​led a 45-yard, nine-play drive, setting up Zane Gonzalez for the game-winning field goal as time expired.

While Mayfield and the offense certainly deserve some blame for the ugly loss, the defense came up short Thursday night. The Falcons faced 3rd-and-28 and then 4th-and-14 on their final drive. But the Buccaneers couldn’t get a stop when it mattered most.

Todd Bowles lashed out at the team after the game. The Tampa Bay coach was furious with the efforts of some of his players. And you know it’s serious if Todd Bowles delivers comments after the game with foul language.