ATLANTA – Ultimately, the lasting image will be of cornerback Zyon McCollum missing a tackle from Falcons receiver KhaDarel Hodge, who took a short pass from Kirk Cousins ​​45 yards into the end zone for the winning touchdown three plays into overtime.

But many players let Thursday night’s game slip from the Bucs’ grasp.

There were so many fingerprints on the 36-30 loss to the Falcons.

Most of them belonged to the defense, which was torched by Cousins, who passed for 509 yards and four touchdowns.

Although he was overshadowed, Baker Mayfield had a good night, passing for 180 yards and three touchdowns, while the Bucs rushed for 160 yards, including Rachaad White’s 56-yard run.

The Bucs took the lead 30-27 with 10:23 left on Chase McLaughlin’s 53-yard field goal.

Around that time, the video board at Mercedes-Benz Stadium showed rapper/actor Ludacris in the seats. And ridiculous was the ending of this game.

How many ways have the Bucs given this one away?

Let’s roll up the tape.

The Bucs led four different times and blew them all.

With 6:29 left in the game, Tavierre blocked Thomas Younghoe Koo’s 54-yard field goal attempt and the Bucs took over at their own 44.

They put one up before rookie running back Bucky Irving was stripped of the ball by Falcons safety Jessie Bates and linebacker Kaden Elliss recovered at the Atlanta 25.

“It happens,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said. “He fumbled and we have to play defense. He becomes part of the game. He is one of our better players. We give him the ball every time and hope he comes through. In this case he has fumbled the ball and the defense has to hold on to them. It’s a team effort.”

But wait.

After the two-minute warning, the Falcons tried one last gasp on fourth-and-15 and Lavonte David seemed to seal the game with his interception at the Atlanta 28.

A holding penalty on rookie center Graham Barton helped push the Bucs out of field goal range and Atlanta burned its timeouts.

You’d think a good kick from Trenton Gill would drive the Falcons back and make a comeback nearly impossible. But wait. Gill kicked the ball through the end zone for a touchback.

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Cousins ​​went to work, completing six passes against the Bucs’ porous defense to move the ball to the Tampa Bay 29-yard line, holding on to the ball with one second left. A delay of game penalty on the Falcons moved the ball back five yards, forcing Koo to make a 52-yard field goal to tie the score and send it to overtime.

Did David think his choice sealed victory?

“The game is never over,” David said. “When there is time on the clock, it is never over. We had the chance to close the game defensively, but we didn’t do that.

“They played more than us. You have to make plays.”

One play the Falcons made was winning the coin toss in overtime. They took the ball, the game and the soul of the Bucs.

You just knew what would happen next. The defense that would give up a whopping 550 yards of offense had no chance.

Cousins ​​needed just four plays to get the Falcons into the end zone.

After a short completion from running back Tyler Allgeier, he connected with receiver Drake London on passes of 6 and 18 yards to the Tampa Bay 45.

You could say the Bucs offense didn’t keep its foot on the gas in the second half. Making field goals is not the way to put a team on the road.

“They made some adjustments, but we also missed a lot of plays,” Bowles said.

This one continues to sting for a while. The Bucs still have ten days to live with the terrible feeling of giving away a game.

They could have been 4-1 and now they are tied with the Falcons at 3-2 going into their next game in New Orleans.

Remember, the Bucs started 3-1 a year ago and then lost six of their next seven games.

Nothing will come easy. The first order of business is to get some players back, especially in defense. They need Calijah Kancey to pair with Vita Vea, who was fired again on Thursday. They need Logan Hall, who had two sacks against Atlanta, to continue producing. They really have All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. necessary to stop bleeding in the secondary.

The image of that final play, where Hodge broke the tackle, raced to the end zone and was moved by the entire Falcons roster, will be difficult to erase.

“If I go for the ball like that, I either have to make the play or put myself in position to make the tackle,” McCollum said. “So that’s up to me.

“It was an emotional last four minutes, that’s for sure. But that’s the NFL. That’s this game and we have to finish them.”

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