close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • Updates, score, highlights from TNF game
    news

    Updates, score, highlights from TNF game

    Vaseline Posted on

    play

    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons will meet on “Thursday Night Football” to begin Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season.

    This is an exciting NFC South clash, as some NFL fans believed Atlanta and Tampa Bay to be the top contenders to win the division coming into the season. The Falcons will be eager to continue their momentum after defeating the division-rival Saints in Week 4. Atlanta was locked into the physical back-and-forth battle and ultimately walked away victorious after a 58-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo.

    Under center for Atlanta will be Kirk Cousins, who signed a massive four-year contract with Atlanta in the offseason. He suffered an Achilles injury last October, cutting his 2023 season short in Minnesota, and has struggled through his first month in Atlanta. Cousins ranks 24th in QBR (43.0) and 22nd in passer rating (83.5) through the first four weeks. Atlanta ranks 21st in EPA per play.

    On the other side of the field will be Baker Mayfield. The former No. 1 overall pick is off to a terrific start in his second season with the Buccaneers, sitting fourth in passer rating (106.9) and 13th in QBR (57.1). Tampa Bay ranks 8th in EPA per play.

    Tampa Bay comes into the short week off an impressive 33-16 win over the Eagles. Injuries decimated Philadelphia entering the matchup, but Tampa Bay took care of business. This will be the Buccaneers’ first divisional matchup of the season.

    USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights, analysis and more from the Week 5 “Thursday Night Football” matchup between the Falcons and Buccaneers.

    Cousins continues to impress in his “TNF” Falcons debut. He has completed 26-of-36 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns with 6:21 left in the third quarter.

    Cousins’ career high in passing yards is 460, so he might have a shot to near that mark if he continues to throw the ball well against the Buccaneers.

    Younghoe Koo continues to atone for his early miss from 41 yards. He nailed a kick from 48 yards away after another quality Falcons drive that was derailed by an untimely offensive pass interference penalty.

    Kirk Cousins already has eclipsed 300 passing yards, but he would surely trade some of those yards for another touchdown drive.

    Tampa Bay was stymied on its first drive of the second half, as a penalty and a two-yard loss on a Rachaad White screen backed the Buccaneers up. They were nearly bailed out by a penalty called on Antonio Hamilton, but the flag was picked up, as Hamilton hit Baker Mayfield just before the quarterback ran out of bounds on a third-and-20.

    The Falcons will get the ball back on their own 21-yard line looking to continue the offensive success they enjoyed in the first half.

    The Falcons had a chance at a 56-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in the half but opted to punt rather than risk missing the long kick. That allowed the Buccaneers to take a seven-point lead into halftime.

    Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins are both playing well, as Mayfield already has three touchdowns while Cousins threw for 253 yards in the first half. Either could be in line for a history-making performance if they continue to produce at the same rate in the second half.

    The Buccaneers will get the ball to start the second half and will have a chance to take a two-score lead on the Falcons when they come out of the locker room.

    Baker Mayfield found his former Oklahoma teammate, Sterling Shepard, in another tight window to give the Buccaneers their third touchdown of the first half. Mayfield has thrown all three of them, along with 131 passing yards.

    The Buccaneers are now up 24-17 and the Falcons will look to answer that score with 1:56 left in the second quarter and three timeouts.

    Rachaad White ran for five yards on his first four carries against the Falcons. On his next carry, he found a big hole in the middle of the field. He ran 56 yards before a Falcons defender brought him down, and that set the Buccaneers up for another scoring opportunity.

    After missing from 41 yards away earlier in the evening, Younghoe Koo made it from 54 yards away. He just snuck it inside the left upright after missing his earlier attempt wide left.

    The Falcons and Buccaneers are now tied at 17 with 6:17 left in the second quarter.

    Drake London was evaluated for a head injury, but he was cleared to return. He is now back on the field, so the Falcons will have their No. 1 wide out available for the rest of the “Thursday Night Football” contest, if all goes well.

    The Falcons did, however, lose cornerback Dee Alford for the evening to a concussion.

    The Buccaneers took less than two minutes of game time to answer Atlanta’s score. Baker Mayfield found Mike Evans open on the left sideline and hit him in stride for a 23-yard touchdown. Evans then threw the 100th touchdown football into the stands at a group of Buccaneers fans. It was reminiscent of when he did the same thing with a Tom Brady milestone football during the 2021 season.

    Tampa Bay’s 44-yard drive was set up by a great kick return by Sean Tucker. He brought the ball all the way across midfield and to Atlanta’s 44-yard line, immediately positioning the Buccaneers on the edge of scoring range.

    London took a shot to the head from K.J. Britt on the Falcons’ touchdown drive, and he is being evaluated for a head injury. He was treated in the blue medical tent but has since gone back to the Falcons’ locker room.

    Kirk Cousins fired a laser to Darnell Mooney in a tiny window, and the first-year Falcon managed to make the catch. He came down just across the goal line to notch the score and put Atlanta back in front, 14-10.

    Cousins is now 12-for-15 for 176 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. And there’s plenty of time left to go in the second quarter (11:58).

    The Buccaneers were called for just the game’s second penalty at the opening of the second quarter. K.J. Britt went in to hit Drake London coming across the field, but accidentally hit him in the head with his shoulder.

    The officials flagged Britt for his misstep, giving the Falcons 15 yards and a first down. Meanwhile, London walked to the bench under his own power, presumably to get some medical attention.

    The Falcons and Buccaneers are both off to hot starts offensively. The two teams combined for 17 points and 223 yards in the first quarter, with both Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins performing well in the passing game.

    Funny enough, both team’s starting running backs were outperformed by their backups in the first quarter. Bucky Irving outgained Rachaad White, 16-6, despite receiving just one carry, while Tyler Allgeier had one carry for 8 yards compared to Bijan Robinson’s 12 yards on five carries.

    And it’s still early, but Younghoe Koo’s missed field goal could loom large if this ends up being a back-and-forth offensive-minded clash.

    Tampa Bay’s second drive stalled out, much like Atlanta’s did. Baker Mayfield couldn’t connect with Chris Godwin on a third-and-3, as the quarterback threw behind his receiver, so the Buccaneers trotted Chase McLaughlin on for a long field goal attempt.

    McLaughlin’s kick was true, unlike Younghoe Koo’s, and split the uprights. That gives the Buccaneers their first lead of the game.

    Kirk Cousins is off to a strong start against the Buccaneers. He has completed 7-of-8 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown over the team’s first two offensive drives. There’s still 3:30 left in the first quarter, so he could be in for a big first half.

    Vita Vea was able to sack Kirk Cousins on a third-and-5 on the Falcons’ second drive, as the 347-pound defensive tackle bulled through running back Bijan Robinson to take down Atlanta’s signal caller.

    Younghoe Koo was called on to attempt a 46-yard field goal, but he missed it. He was bailed out by an offsides call against the Tampa Bay defense but he sent it just wide left from 41 yards as well.

    It remains 7-all and the Buccaneers get the ball back at their own 31-yard line.

    The Buccaneers answered the Falcons’ scoring drive in short order. Baker Mayfield found Mike Evans wide open in the middle of the end-zone on a first-and-goal from the 2-yard line. The play-action call fooled Atlanta’s defense and allowed the Bucs to get the game-tying score.

    Mayfield went 5-for-6 on the drive for 57 yards. Evans was his top target, as he caught three passes for 26 yards and the score.

    The Falcons offense started strong, orchestrating a seven-play, 70-yard drive to get into the end zone. Kirk Cousins found Drake London over the middle of the field and saw his talented receiver bounce off contact and cross the goal line to give the Falcons the first points of the game.

    Younghoe Koo knocks through the extra point to make it 7-0 early in Atlanta.

    Kyle Pitts was held without a catch for the first time in his NFL career in Week 4. The Falcons made up for that by getting him an early, downfield target that put Atlanta just on the fringe of Younghoe Koo’s field goal range.

    • Date: Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024 
    • Time: 8:15 p.m. ET 

    The Falcons and Buccaneers game will kick off Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season with “Thursday Night Football” at 8:15 p.m. ET. 

    • Live stream: Amazon Prime Video 
    • TV channel: Fox 13 (Tampa Bay market) | Fox 5 (Atlanta market) 

    “Thursday Night Football” will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video. 

    Viewers in the Tampa Bay market can watch the matchup on Fox 13, and those in the Atlanta area can watch it on Fox 5. 

    Watch “Thursday Night Football” with a Prime Video subscription

    Yes, Matt Ryan officially retired from the NFL during the offseason. He signed a one-day contract to retire with the Falcons, for whom he played 14 seasons and won NFL MVP in 2016.

    Ryan will be inducted into the Falcons’ Ring of Honor at halftime of Thursday night’s game against the Buccaneers.

    Here are the USA TODAY Sports staff’s predictions for the “Thursday Night Football” matchup for Week 5:

    • Lorenzo Reyes: Buccaneers 23, Falcons 17
    • Tyler Dragon: Falcons 24, Buccaneers 21
    • Jordan Mendoza: Buccaneers 20, Falcons 18

    Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will be in the broadcast booth for Prime Video, with Kaylee Hartung (sideline) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) providing additional coverage.  

    The Prime Video pregame, halftime and postgame shows feature Charissa Thompson as host, as well as former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman and Andrew Whitworth as analysts.  

    Taylor Rooks is the feature reporter for Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage. Albert Breer provides reports and analysis. 

    The Buccaneers will be without Pro Bowl safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot) and starting right tackle Luke Goedeke (concussion) on Thursday night. For the Falcons, linebacker Troy Andersen, who had a pick-six in Sunday’s win over the Saints, had been ruled out with a knee injury.

    Buccaneers’ inactive players:

    • TE Devin Clup
    • OT Luke Goedeke
    • DL Calijah Kancey
    • WR Jalen McMillan
    • WR Trey Palmer
    • S Antoine Winfield Jr.

    Falcons’ inactive players:

    • RB Jase McClellan
    • LB Troy Andersen
    • DL Brandon Dorlus
    • OL Jovaughn Gwyn
    • OL Elijah Wilkinson
    • OT Brandon Parker
    • DL Kentavius Street

    The Falcons are favorites to defeat the Buccaneers, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2024, including the ESPN BET app and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code. 

    • Spread: Falcons (-1.5) 
    • Moneyline: Falcons (-125); Buccaneers (+105) 
    • Over/under: 43.5 

    Not interested in this game? Our guide to NFL betting odds, picks, and spreads has you covered with “Sunday Night Football” odds and “Monday Night Football” odds. 

    New to sports betting? USA TODAY readers can claim exclusive promos and bonus codes with the best online sportsbooks and sports betting sites. 

    FEELING LUCKY? Here are the best parlay bets and odds for NFL games this week 

    The early returns on Kyle Pitts at the NFL level demonstrated promise. He recorded a 1,000-yard season as a 21-year-old rookie and figured to trend up from there. 

    Instead, Pitts has struggled to reach that level of production again. Some blamed former Falcons coach Arthur Smith for those issues, but Pitts’ plateau has continued under the leadership of new head coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. And that’s despite the Falcons adding Kirk Cousins – Pitts’ best quarterback partner since Matt Ryan in 2021 – to the fold. 

    The Buccaneers enter the Week 5 “TNF” showdown in sole possession of first place in the NFC South. However, with a win tonight, Atlanta will move into a tie. 

    • Buccaneers: 3-1 
    • Falcons: 2-2 
    • Saints: 2-2 
    • Panthers: 1-3 

    The Falcons are opening the roof for their Week 5 game against the Buccaneers. It’s easy to understand why, as it will be a beautiful night in Atlanta, with a high of 76 degrees at kickoff and a low of 71 at midnight.

    According to the Weather Channel, winds will max out at 5 mph while chances of precipitation are at less than 5 percent for the game. 

    These teams first played each other in the 1977 NFL season with Atlanta winning 17-0 in that game. They’ve played 61 games total against each other with Tampa Bay holding a slight edge in the divisional rivalry, 31-30.  Since 2020, the Buccaneers have won six of the last eight meetings. 

    The NFC South has been one of the weakest divisions in the NFL in recent years. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won the NFC South for three consecutive seasons. 

    The Saints got off to a hot start before cooling down in recent weeks. The Panthers seemed hapless before Bryce Young was benched, but have found a little bit of an offensive spark with Andy Dalton under center. 

    However, the Atlanta Falcons are the current favorites in NFC South odds heading into their divisional clash with the Buccaneers on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 5. 

    Who are the highest paid NFL players at each position? 

    We have a complete list at every position:  

    Do you like football? Then you’ll enjoy getting our NFL newsletter delivered to your inbox 📨.

    Get the latest news, expert analysis, game insights and the must-see moments from the NFL conveniently delivered to your email inbox. Sign up now! ✍

    We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage. 

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like