Buccaneers outlast the Falcons by three points in an NFC South clash at Raymond James Stadium.

  • After the Falcons turned the ball over on the opening drive of the game, S Thomas DeCoud saved a touchdown when he intercepted QB Josh Freeman’s pass in the endzone. It was the fifth interception of DeCoud’s career and his first since he picked off Saints QB Drew Brees in Week 3 of the 2010 season.

  • With a first quarter interception, the Falcons posted their fifth takeaway of the season. Atlanta has forced at least one turnover in each of its last 22 games which is the longest current active streak in the NFL.

  • K Matt Bryant connected on a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter, marking his 19th consecutive made field goal dating back to 2010. This season, Bryant has hit all three of his field goal attempts.

  • Bryant’s kick came at the end of an 11-play, 84-yard drive. This season, the Birds have scored four times on five drives of 10-or-more plays. Since 2008, the Falcons have ranked among the League leaders in terms of scoring on long drives. Last season, Atlanta posted 34 scores on 35 drives lasting 10-plays or longer, including 15 touchdowns.

  • Bryant would add a second field goal to cut the Bucs lead to three points in the fourth quarter to extend his consecutive made kicks streak to 20-in-a- row which is the second-longest streak in team history. Bryant is six field goals shy of tying Norm Johnson who hit 26 straight from 1992-1993.

  • S William Moore recorded his first interception of the season in the fourth quarter when he picked off a tipped pass and returned it 27 yards to the Buccaneers 27-yard line. Last season, Moore posted five interceptions which were tied for the team lead and ranked tied for third among all safeties.

  • Trailing, 16-3 with 7:46 remaining in the game, QB Matt Ryan hit rookie WR Julio Jones for a 49-yard gain to put the Falcons on the Bucs 10-yard line. The reception was the longest of Jones’ career. It also put him over the 100-yard mark for the first time as Jones finished the game with six catches for 115 yards.

  • On the next play, Ryan hit TE Tony Gonzalez in the endzone for a 10-yard touchdown. It was the 91st career score for Gonzalez, tying him with WR Isaac Bruce for the ninth most receiving touchdowns in NFL history.

  • Gonzalez has now caught a touchdown pass in two consecutive games this season. The last time he accomplished that feat was in his first two games in a Falcons uniform in 2009. He also leads the team with three scores this season.

  • Ryan finished the game with his second 300-yard performance of the season, completing 26 of 47 pass attempts for 330 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Ryan has now eclipsed 300-yards passing six times in his career, including two of the first three games in 2011. Additionally, he has thrown a touchdown pass in 20 of his last 22 games.

  • Defensively, Atlanta held Bucs QB Josh Freeman to just 180 yards passing and a 56.8 quarterback rating. The Falcons defense intercepted Freeman twice and registered a pair of quarterback hits on the Bucs signal caller.

  • Fourth-year middle linebacker Curtis Lofton and second-year outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon shared the team lead with 11 tackles each. It was the 22nd time in his career that Lofton has posted double-digit tackles and the third straight game he’s done so in 2011.