FULL BOX SCORE

1. Falcons pull off shocking upset in spite of countless mistakes. The Carolina Panthers might have to add the Falcons to their Christmas card list. Trailing by 14 points with less than 10 minutes remaining, the Falcons engineered two touchdown drives and — after the Bucs failed to shut the door — drove 45 yards to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired. Kirk Cousins overcame a final-drive fumble that was ruled simultaneous possession, keeping the ball with Atlanta. Cousins threw for 134 yards in the fourth quarter alone, keeping his mastery of the Bucs’ defense alive from last season, when he gutted them for 785 yards and eight TDs. Cousins threw for 373 yards and three TD passes on Thursday, all to Kyle Pitts, and showed he still has a little magic left. The way they played for most of the game, the Falcons had absolutely no business winning this contest — only their second victory since Week 6 — but somehow found a way. 
2. Just a crushing loss for the stumbling Bucs. Leading by two scores early in the fourth quarter, the Bucs appeared to be putting the Falcons away and making them pay for their countless mistakes throughout the game. But Tampa Bay’s defense allowed the Falcons to drive twice for touchdowns, with Baker Mayfield’s interception an absolute killer with just over eight minutes left. Even though the Falcons missed two two-point tries, Atlanta stopped Mayfield and the Bucs’ offense with just under two minutes left and drove 45 yards to set up Zane Gonzalez‘ game-winning kick. This loss (the Bucs’ sixth in seven games since the bye) helped push the Panthers into first place heading into Sunday’s matchup at the Saints, and it suddenly puts the Bucs in real danger of missing the postseason for the first time since the 2019 season. Not even Mike Evans‘ impressive return to the field could spur the Buccaneers enough. The division will still come down to the Bucs’ two matchups with Carolina, but with the way they’re playing, you have to say the Panthers have the edge now.
3. Pitts made money with career-best game. One of the more intriguing 2026 free agents is helping his cause to get paid in the offseason, and Thursday was his best game yet. Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts registered career highs in receptions (11), receiving yards (166) and touchdowns (three), lifting the Falcons to the stunning win. Pitts had two of his three scores in the first half, helping Atlanta take a 14-13 lead into the break, and his 7-yard TD catch — with his keister barely touching in the end zone before his elbow hit out — with 3:34 left cut the Bucs’ lead to two points. Atlanta faced a third-and-28 on the final drive, but Pitts’ 14-yard catch at least made the fourth down manageable, with David Sills (who dropped a would-be TD earlier) snagging a 21-yarder on fourth-and-14 to put the Falcons in business. But the story on the night was Pitts, who was shredding the Bucs even after they issued extra defensive attention his way. The 25-year-old hasn’t produced as expected — he had one TD coming into the game — but has been on a recent hot streak and could parlay that into a big March payday.
4. Pass protection let the Bucs down. Baker Mayfield has to take responsibility for his un-pressured interception in the fourth quarter, but he was under fire for most of the night Thursday. Mayfield was sacked five times, and that number would have been higher had it not been for Atlanta penalties wiping other sacks out. The Bucs’ interior OL trio of Mike Jordan, Dan Feeney and Graham Barton really struggled to handle the Falcons’ rush inside all night, creating some muddy pockets on a field that looked pretty chewed up to begin with. All of that disrupted the timing of the Bucs’ offense, even with Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan back in the lineup — the first time all season they had a full complement of wide receivers. Evans, McMillan, Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin all made big plays, but the Bucs failed to stick with the run game and Mayfield’s late pick cut deeply. 
5. Falcons won in spite of record penalty night. It’s incredible to think how the Falcons won this game in spite of repeatedly shooting themselves in the feet. It would almost be easier to list the plays on which the Falcons were not flagged Thursday night. They finished with 19 accepted penalties — a Falcons record and the most in an NFL game this season — including 13 flags through the first 37-plus minutes. They had two sacks of Baker Mayfield erased on defensive holds by A.J. Terrell. A hold wiped out a 30-yard Bijan Robinson run. Dee Alford’s illegal contact call on a third-and-13 incompletion kept a drive alive, setting up a Bucs TD. Cousins also was flagged for intentional grounding, knocking the Falcons out of field-goal range. Throw in David Sills’ dropped bomb, Robinson’s fumble at the Atlanta 25-yard line (his second in as many games) and two missed two-pointers, and it’s hard to figure out how the Falcons were victorious. Darnell Mooney also fumbled inside the red zone, and yet Atlanta came away with it — in spite of three orange jerseys swarming around the loose ball. The Falcons tempted fate, but somehow the football gods were on their side Thursday. 

Next Gen Stats Insight for Falcons-Buccaneers (via NFL Pro): The Falcons’ win probability was as low as 4.8% with 13:29 left in the fourth quarter (trailing, 28-14) in their 29-28 comeback win over the Buccaneers.

NFL Research: Falcons edge James Pearce Jr. now has the franchise rookie record for most sacks in a season with eight.

The Braves were involved in a few rumors but nothing turned concrete. Maybe that’ll be the case in the near future? We’ll see what happens.

Well, less than 24 hours later, the Atlanta Braves have made two big free agency signings. They brought Mike Yastrzemski into the fold on a two-year deal and now they’ve apparently got the man that they were linked to earlier this week. There were multiple reporters saying that the Braves were interested in Robert Suarez and as it turns out, there was something to that rumor because Suarez is now a member of the Atlanta Braves.

Jeff Passan of ESPN is reporting that the Braves and Suarez have agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract.

The Braves were searching for a high-end reliever to pair with Raisel Iglesias after they brought him back on a one-year deal earlier this offseason and they’ve pulled it off with this deal. Although Suarez is heading into his Age-35 season, he’s coming off of the best season of his career where he finished with an ERA of 2.97 (73 ERA-), a FIP of 2.88 (71 FIP-), a career-low walk rate of 5.9 percent and a solid strikeout rate of nearly 28 percent. The Braves clearly feel that he can keep on providing that type of production and it’ll certainly be exciting to see him light up the radar gun with that elite heater of his that sits at nearly 99 miles per hour.

The All-Star hurler will now join a bullpen that suddenly looks pretty tough to deal with at the end of ballgames. Atlanta was in search of improving their bullpen and they’ve done just that with the addition of Suarez. While the Braves could still use a starting pitcher, they’ve definitely done a solid job of improving their roster here in the offseason and it’ll be very interesting to see what’s next for improving the squad going forward.

UPDATE [1:05 p.m. ET]: The Braves have officially announced the signing and also announced that they designated Ryan Rolison for assignment in order to make room for Suarez on the roster, so there’s that.

ATLANTA – A 38-year-old man was found shot to death Wednesday evening at an apartment complex on Arthur Langford Junior Place.

What we know:

Atlanta police said officers were called to The Manor III apartments located at 262 Arthur Langford Junior Place SW around 7:31 p.m. on a report of shots fired. When they arrived, they found the man unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds. Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

Homicide investigators spent the night collecting ballistic evidence, reviewing video and working with security at the complex. Detectives said the property has been cooperative and has provided footage that investigators are reviewing.

What they’re saying:

A police spokesperson at the scene said detectives are still working to determine whether the shooter acted alone or whether multiple suspects were involved. “Unfortunately, the male was pronounced deceased from multiple gunshot wounds,” the spokesperson said. “We are still early in the investigation trying to gather information and speak with witnesses.”

What we don’t know:

When asked about a potential motive, detectives said it was too soon to know.

What you can do:

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers or reach out directly to the homicide unit.