The Atlanta Falcons celebrated a wild victory. © APA / MIKE EHRMANN

The incredible comeback of the Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons dealt the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a setback in the NFL playoff race.

12 December 2025

From: dpa/det

The Falcons defeated the favorites 29-28 with a field goal at the final buzzer. The hosts, now with seven wins and seven losses, lost their NFC South lead to the Carolina Panthers after their fifth loss in six games.

Atlanta, already eliminated from contention for the Super Bowl knockout stage, scored the final 15 points of the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. The Georgia team thus defied a game-breaking 19 penalties.

The match was spectacular. © APA / MIKE EHRMANN

Backup quarterback Kirk Cousins, filling in for the injured Michael Penix Jr., particularly shone in the final stages with three strong drives. These resulted in two touchdown passes to tight end Kyle Pitts and the winning kick by Zane Gonzales.

The result has set up an extremely exciting end to the season in the division: Two of Tampa Bay's last three games are against their direct rivals from Carolina. Carolina's quarterback, Baker Mayfield, will need to be more careful with the ball if they want to secure another playoff berth. Against Atlanta, Mayfield threw an interception with the score at 28-20, which really brought the visitors back into the game.