 to just their second victory in the last seven games. Chris Godwin had seven catches for a career-best 184 yards, including a pair of touchdowns. Yet the scoring play everyone will remember was a little 1-yard pass in the final minute of the first half to Vea, a 6-foot-4, 347-pound defensive lineman who has been used as an extra blocker on offense, but never as an offensive weapon. Until now. ''The first thing I hear out there is the pass play,'' Vea said, relating how he got the call. ''Jameis looked at me and was like, `Hurry up and get set, Vita. ' And I was like, `Oh, damn, here it comes. '' 'After lining up at fullback, Vea slipped into the flat on play-action by Winston, going completely uncovered as he gobbled up the short pass. ''For some reason, I thought somebody was behind me,'' said Vea, who had not scored a touchdown since he played running back in high school. ''So right when I caught the ball, I kind of braced for impact. But no one was there. '' Atlanta (3-8) had pulled even with Tampa Bay at the bottom of the division standings with a modest two-game winning streak. But the Falcons couldn't keep the momentum going, dropping to 1-4 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in what has become a lost season for a team that reached the Super Bowl just three years ago. ''You've got to score touchdowns and we didn't do a good job of that today,'' said Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who has his lowest-rated game of the season. Winston has been picked off an NFL-high 20 times but completed 18 of 28 for 313 yards. His top two receivers, Mike Evans and Godwin, both went past 1,000 yards receiving for the season. But how about that big guy who now has a single yard receiving? ''I knew he was going to catch the ball no matter where it was, but it was big for team morale to get him a touchdown,'' Winston said. Godwin put Tampa Bay ahead 7-3 with a 71-yard reception in the first quarter, the first TD allowed by the Falcons in more than 10 quarters. He lined up in the slot and caught the Falcons in a mismatch, beating linebacker Deion Jones. Atlanta reclaimed the lead on Qadree Ollison's 1-yard leap into the end zone, but the Bucs took control with a dominating second quarter. Godwin reached back with one hand to make a brilliant grab for a 1-yard scoring play, and Vea's TD stretched the margin to 19-10 at the break. It should have been more, but Matt Gay yanked a couple of extra points wide left. Tampa Bay took the second-half kickoff and extended the margin, going 75 yards in nine plays capped by 4-yard touchdown run by Ronald Jones II. The Bucs again failed to convert the extra point, this time when Gay's attempt was blocked. The kicking woes became a moot point thanks to the Bucs' defensive dominance. Devin White had two of his team's six sacks, and Tampa Bay finished off the rout by knocking away the ball from Ryan on a fourth-down play in the closing minutes. Ndamukong Suh scooped it up and rumbled 6 yards for a touchdown. Vea also dumped Ryan in the fourth quarter, giving him a memorable sack-TD catch double on the day. ''I still don't believe it,'' Vea said. ''It still seems kind of surreal to me. '' SPECIAL CLUBEvans joined Randy Moss as the only players to begin their careers with six straight seasons of at least 1,000 yards receiving. It wasn`t a huge day for Evans, who was limited to 50 yards on four catches. Still, it pushed him to 1,043 yards for the season and part of a select club. ''He was a freak of nature,'' Evans said of Moss. ''He was so exciting to watch. To be in the same sentence as him is amazing. '' INJURY REPORTBuccaneers: LB White was able to return after being ordered off the field by the officials early in the second half after a helmet-to-helmet hit with teammate Andrew Adams. . . . DL Beau Allen (stinger) and CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (knee) were injured in the second half. Falcons: WR Julio Jones sustained a shoulder injury in the first half but finished with five catches for 68 yards, going past Calvin Johnson for 30th place on the NFL's career receiving list with 11,681 yards. UP NEXTBuccaneers: return home to face the Jaguars next Sunday, beginning a stretch of three games in four weeks against AFC South opponents. Falcons: short turnaround before they host first-place New Orleans on Thursday night. Atlanta will be going for its second straight upset of the Saints, having pulled off a 26-9 stunner in the first meeting between the NFC South rivals on Nov. 10. ---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www. twitter. com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews. com---More NFL: https://apnews. com/NFL and https://twitter. com/-NFL)
Nov 21, 2019ATLANTA In a way, the 2020 season has already begun for the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With six weeks to go, neither team has a realistic path to the playoffs. Sunday's game will be as much about the future as the present. The Falcons (3-7) want to keep building on their stunning turnaround the past two weeks. After a six-game losing streak, they bounced back with perhaps the most surprising result of the season - a 26-9 upset at first-place New Orleans - followed by a 29-3 rout at Carolina. Beginning a stretch of three straight home games, the Falcons can gain additional momentum heading into next season - and perhaps remove lingering doubts about coach Dan Quinn's job status. ''Yes, we wish we had been playing like this earlier in the season,'' Falcons safety Ricardo Allen said. ''But, man, we've just got to take it for what it is, know that we're doing it now, and try to finish out the season the way we know we can. '' Tampa Bay (3-7) has the same record but is heading in the opposite direction with five losses in its past six games. The Bucs' biggest issue is whether to stick with quarterback Jameis Winston, who is earning nearly $21 million in the final year of the contract he signed as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2015. Winston has thrown for 300-plus yards in a franchise-record five consecutive games, but that's only part of the story. He was intercepted four times in last Sunday's 34-17 loss to New Orleans and leads the NFL with 22 turnovers, including 18 picks. The fifth-year pro knows that he's got to clean up his game - and he may be running out of time to do it in Tampa Bay. ''Whether (the turnovers are) coming from me, whether it's anybody else - it's always my fault,'' Winston said. ''I'm the quarterback. '' Coach Bruce Arians sent a message to a roster filled with younger players when he released 2016 first-round draft choice Vernon Hargreaves for failing to hustle on a long pass completion. ''Nobody likes losing, but I'll never stop fighting,'' receiver Mike Evans said. ''We're going to fight until the end and live with the results. '' Some things to watch for in Sunday's game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:DYNAMIC DUOSEvans and Chris Godwin have combined for 121 receptions and 1,880 yards - the most receiving yards by a pair of teammates through 10 games since Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders (2,059) in 2014. Evans is second in the NFL with 993 yards, seven shy of joining Hall of Famer Randy Moss as the only players to begin a career with six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Godwin has 63 catches for 887 yards. Both have seven TDs, tied for fourth in the league. The Falcons have their own dynamic duo at receiver. Six-time Pro Bowler Julio Jones has 59 receptions for 882 yards, while 2018 first-round pick Calvin Ridley hauled in eight catches for 143 yards and a touchdown in the victory over Carolina. ''If you like wide receiver play, this is the game to watch,'' Quinn said. ''Both teams are capable of making explosive plays. '' ON THE BRINKAfter a 2-2 start, the Bucs are closing in on missing the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season. Only the Cleveland Browns, who haven't earned a berth since 2002, have a longer postseason drought. ''We know that we have the talent,'' tight end O. J. Howard said. ''We've just got to put it all together and stop beating ourselves. '' BARNER'S ROLEThe Falcons might look to Kenjon Barner to bolster the running game if Devonta Freeman continues to be hampered by an injured toe. Brian Hill got the start in Carolina but managed only 30 yards on 15 carries. Barner had a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown - earning NFC special teams player of the week honors - and got two carries for 15 yards in his limited time with the offense. ''I'm a versatile guy. I can run the ball. I can catch the ball. I can run routes out of the backfield,'' Barner said. ''I bring a lot to the table. '' SACK ATTACKThe Falcons will need to keep an eye on Tampa Bay linebacker Shaquil Barrett, who ranks second in the NFL with 11 1/2 sacks. ''On a team that has a very good front seven in a number of spots, he stands out,'' Quinn said. The Falcons have suddenly found a knack for getting to the quarterback after managing an NFL-low seven sacks through their first eight games. They piled up 11 sacks in their past two victories, led by Adrian Clayborn, Vic Beasley and Grady Jarrett. RICO'S NEW POSITIONThe Falcons improved play in the secondary can partly be attributed to a position change for Allen, who shifted from free to strong safety a few weeks ago. One of the team's most respected players and vocal leaders, Allen believes he's in better position to influence the game at strong safety. ''As a free safety, you're just like the anchor of the defense,'' Allen said. ''Sometimes, you don't get any work. Now, I'm more in the mix. I'm covering backs. I'm covering tight ends. I'm covering receivers. I'm blitzing. I'm playing zone. I'm showing how versatile I am. '' SHAKY SECONDARYWhile the Falcons have shown improvement against the pass, the Bucs' secondary is a mess. Tampa Bay ranks next-to-last in the NFL in both yards allowed (290. 9 yards per game) and TD passes surrendered (25). That doesn't bode well against Atlanta's Matt Ryan, who last week moved up to No. 10 on the league's career list for passing yards. ---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www. twitter. com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews. com---More NFL: https://apnews. com/NFL and https://twitter. com/-NFL--- Sports Writer Fred Goodall in Tampa contributed to this report.
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