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THE WIRE
WK 15 FINAL Ravens 34, Broncos 0 WK 15 FINAL Steelers 24, Chargers 17 WK 15 FINAL Dolphins 24, Jets 30 MOVE LaNorris Sellers dev trait up Star to Superstar MOVE Christian Benford dev trait up Star to Superstar MOVE T.J. Moore dev trait up Star to Superstar WK 16 Bills (8-6) at Jaguars (12-2) WK 16 Lions (9-5) at Packers (11-3)
WEEK 12 · FINAL
BUCCANEERS 0-14 · 19.0 PPG 24 – 28 FALCONS 6-8 · 22.0 PPG
THE READ
Falcons beat Buccaneers, 28-24

Buccaneers kept it respectable. Falcons still won by 4. Michael Penix Jr threw for Falcons — 23/40, 290 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT. Baker Mayfield did the damage for Buccaneers — 19/30, 232 yards, 1 TD — in a losing effort. A season best for Michael Penix Jr. Through the air: Falcons 290, Buccaneers 232.

The Wire · league beat
THE WIDER PICTURE
Team SRS SOS MARGIN TO +/-
Buccaneers -13.4 -2.5 -10.9 -8
Falcons -5.3 -2.6 -2.7 +3
SRS is how many points a side beats an average team by once you account for who they played — beat a good team by 3 and it counts for more than beating a bad one by 20. SOS is how hard that schedule has been. Full table.
Falcons — in the hunt · 6-8 Playoff picture →
IN THE BOOTH
Ava Collins Beat reporter
Atlanta's passing game was the difference here. Penix Jr. threw for 290 yards and 3 touchdowns while Branch turned into a security blanket with 107 receiving yards—that's a two-man show that Tampa Bay's defense couldn't contain, and it held up in a 28-24 finish where the Falcons simply moved the ball better through the air.
Nicole Santos Beat reporter · replying
Tampa Bay's ground game—139 yards to Atlanta's 114—didn't matter when the Bucs couldn't generate enough in the air. Mayfield's 232 yards and 1 TD against an Atlanta defense that gave up 290 says where this one really got decided.
They only ever read the box score and this league's own numbers — none of them has a source, and none of them can report anything that did not happen.
Michael Penix Jr
Falcons
23/40, 290 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Baker Mayfield
Buccaneers
19/30, 232 yards, 1 TD
Zachariah Branch
Falcons
6 catches, 107 yards, 2 TD
THE STORY SO FAR
WHAT DECIDED IT
Through the air Falcons 290, Buccaneers 232 Falcons
Total yards Falcons 404, Buccaneers 371 Falcons
On the ground Buccaneers 139, Falcons 114 Buccaneers
Giveaways Falcons 2, Buccaneers 1 Buccaneers
THE ROOM Final. The recap is below.
📺 THE WEEK 12 SHOW this game is in the week's show ▶ Watch the show
THE MATCHUP SCOUT every number below is counted from the export or read off the roster — nothing is inferred about playcalling
LEAGUE DATA counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it
Pass-heavy Pass 62% · Rush 38% · 19.1 scored, 29.9 allowed
7.0 yds/att 59.9% completions 3.9 yds/carry 365.1 yds/game 2.2 giveaways/game 5.4% sack rate last 5: 0-5
Primary weapon: Emeka Egbuka WR — 32% of the receiving yards · DEPENDENCY HIGH
SAPPHIRE METRICS QB efficiency 46 · Conservative Balance 88 Ball security 38 Back usage 33% QB runs 2.9/game
Most exposed: ball security -- 2.2 giveaways a game
PERSONNEL off the roster — unit averages, best starters only
QB 84 WR 88 TE 80 RB 90 OL 86 DL 89 LB 83 DB 88
Best: Tristan Wirfs LT 97 Fastest: Ahmad Hardy HB 94 SPD 9 at star dev or better
YOUR NOTEBOOK what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic
Sign in as a member of this league to keep private scouting notes on your opponents.
HOW THEY PLAY the man, not the franchise — only weeks the record attributes to him, this season
Ace.P
Buccaneers · his last 8 games
Throws it
Pass / run63% / 37% Points for / against19.6 — 29.6 Margin-10.0 Giveaways a game1.9 Sacks taken5.5% of dropbacks Lead backBucky Irving · 14.0/g Top targetTed Hurst III · 35% QB carries2.0 a game
Counted from the weeks each man actually held his team — so a franchise that changed hands is not credited to whoever has it now. Nothing above is a playcall: the export does not carry those, and neither does this.
MATCHUP ADVANTAGES unit averages against each other — inside three points is a push
Buccaneers receivers vs Falcons secondary 88 v 90 EVEN
Falcons receivers vs Buccaneers secondary 88 v 88 EVEN
Buccaneers line vs Falcons front 86 v 84 EVEN
Falcons line vs Buccaneers front 84 v 89 BUCCANEERS
Buccaneers backs vs Falcons run defence 90 v 82 BUCCANEERS
Falcons backs vs Buccaneers run defence 90 v 88 EVEN
Buccaneers passer vs Falcons secondary 84 v 90 FALCONS
Falcons passer vs Buccaneers secondary 78 v 88 BUCCANEERS
TOP PERFORMERS
Michael Penix Jr QB Falcons 290 pass yds
Baker Mayfield QB Buccaneers 232 pass yds
Ted Hurst III WR Buccaneers 150 rec yds
Zachariah Branch WR Falcons 107 rec yds
Drake London WR Falcons 60 rec yds
Ahmad Hardy HB Buccaneers 55 rush yds
Jahdae Walker WR Falcons 55 rec yds
Bijan Robinson HB Falcons 51 rush yds
Bucky Irving HB Buccaneers 50 rush yds
Benjamin Morrison CB Buccaneers 1 INTs
🎬 The Game Recap
this game as an episode -- the score, the stars, the numbers that decided it -- and a video you can post ›
BOX SCORE
BUCCANEERS
PLAYER C/ATTYDSTDINTSCKLNGRTG
Baker Mayfield QB 19/302321015598.1
FALCONS
PLAYER C/ATTYDSTDINTSCKLNGRTG
Michael Penix Jr QB 23/402903113094.7
RECENT FORM
Buccaneers
L 9–17 vs Colts WK 11
L 19–23 vs Falcons WK 10
L 17–23 vs Panthers WK 9
Falcons
L 3–24 vs Patriots WK 11
W 23–19 vs Buccaneers WK 10
L 21–28 vs Cowboys WK 9
TEAM STATS
Buccaneers Falcons
371 TOTAL YARDS 404
232 PASSING YARDS 290
139 RUSHING YARDS 114
1 SACKS ALLOWED 1
1 SACKS MADE 1
1 GIVEAWAYS 2
2 TAKEAWAYS 1

Bold is the side that won that line. Giveaways come off a team's own offensive rows and takeaways off its own defensive rows — two separate payloads, so they need not tie out against each other.

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD
0 BUCCANEERS — 2 FALCONS
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