The Atlanta Falcons
overcame a two-touchdown deficit to stun the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in a 29-28 divisional upset on Thursday night. The Bucs are fighting to win the division, but Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is fighting to keep his job and took a step in the right direction in Week 15.
Nonetheless, the Falcons have already been eliminated from playoff contention at 5-9. All they have left to play for is pride. Check out the studs and duds from Thursday night's thriller in Tampa.
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Stud: CB Dee Alford
Dee Alford made a critical interception of Baker Mayfield to give the Falcons the chance to tie the game before their final possession. Without this interception, the clock likely runs out for Atlanta and Tampa probably gets the win. Alford has lined up wherever the team has asked him to and held his own this season. The veteran defensive back found a way to impact the game in Week 15 and deserves credit.
Stud: WR David Sills V
Sills was penciled in as a dud prior to that final drive. However, his efforts at the end and his falling reception on fourth down changed the game and ultimately set the team up for a win. Sills ended the game with six receptions and 78 yards on the night. He bounced back from a couple tough drops to make arguably the most clutch play of the game.
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Stud: TE Kyle Pitts
Kyle Pitts had himself a career night. For the first time in his career, he put up three touchdowns while also adding a career best in receptions with 11, and yards with 166. It's safe to say, keeping Pitts in the long term should be a priority in the offseason.
Dud: Falcons' discipline
It was a historic night for the Falcons. The team set a franchise record for the most penalties given in a single regular season game. While they did get the win, there is still a very strong leadership issue from the top down. In the NFL, you won't win many games when you commit 15 more penalties than the other team.
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Stud: EDGE James Pearce Jr.
For the sixth straight week, the rookie pass rusher has sacked the opposing quarterback. Pearce becomes the fourth rookie in NFL history to achieve this feat and ties Micah Parsons as the last to do so. Pearce now leads the team with eight sacks after his two-sack performance in Week 15.
Stud: QB Kirk Cousins
Kirk lit up the stats sheet tonight throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns while going 30 for 44. It was a nice performance by Cousins. And while some will argue that he should've been the starting quarterback all along, one start in an essentially meaningless game shouldn't' sway opinions too much. Either way, Cousins made some clutch throws to keep the Falcons alive on Thursday and deserves credit.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire:
Falcons defeat Bucs: Studs and duds from Week 15 game
