The Tampa Bay Buccaneers control their own destiny at this point in the season, where they just have to win the majority of their final four games, and they win the NFC South. Of course, one of those wins has to come against the Carolina Panthers, as they are now tied with them atop the division.

However, it isn’t just them they have to deal with in the closing stretch of the season, but also division rival the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons have a measly record this year, but anything is possible with division games. The Bucs are also coming off their worst loss of the year, and they, too, are left picking up the pieces. Something has to give in Week 15 in primetime.

Here is how you can watch the primetime matchup between the Bucs and Falcons.

The Bucs enter halftime down one point after a 52-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal. Tampa Bay is not playing particularly well outside of some explosive pass plays. Baker Mayfield is just 9-of-19 for 145 yards while the defense has given up 222 total yards. Their main saving grace is Atlanta’s many penalties as they have been call 10 times already. The Falcons will have the ball to open the second half.

The Bucs defense is full collapse as it allows the Falcons to drive 65 yards in four plays and less than 90 seconds before scoring on another Kyle Pitts receiving touchdown. QB Kirk Cousins is 12 of 16 for 155 yards and has yet to be sacked. If the Bucs cannot find a way to slow the Falcons pass offense down, their playoff hopes may be gone by the end of the night.

CB Zyon McCollum is questionable to return with a hip injury. He went down at the end of the Falcons’ last drive and walked off on his own power. Oddly enough, the Falcons looked prepared to go for it on 4th down until play was stopped for McCollum’s injury. After he walked off, Atlanta opted to punt the ball away. Kindle Vildor enters the game in McCollum’s stead.

The Bucs move in Falcons territory after a series of big catches by Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan. However, a high pass from Baker Mayfield to Evans goes incomplete and sends Evans to the sideline in pain. Mayfield attempts to scramble for a first down but is stopped short of the sticks on third down. Chase McLaughlin comes in to convert a 49-yard field goal to give the Bucs the lead late in the first half.

The Falcons pull even with the Bucs on an 8-yard Kyle Pitts receiving touchdown. After appear to hold the Falcons on their 13-yard line to force a field goal attempt, the Bucs all but gift Atlanta four additional points when cornerback Zyon McCollum jumps offsides, giving the Falcons a new set of downs. Tampa Bay’s secondary busts their coverage on the next play, allowing Pitts to walk into the endzone.

The Bucs end the first quarter with a 7-0 lead. The Falcons offense is at midfield thanks to a 26-yard Kyle Pitts reception, but a holding call pushed them back. Predictably, Kirk Cousins is carving the Bucs’ defense up over the middle of the field, even without Drake London on the field.

With their pass game actually looking explosive thanks to the returns of Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan, the Bucs score the first points of the game on a 1-yard Sean Tucker run. The Bucs brought everyone in help on the play, including Vita Vea to play fullback.

The Bucs’ second-year receiver is making up for his long absence with a neck injury with a near-scoring play. He has the Bucs on Atlanta’s one-yard line with a 20-yard reception, his first since coming off injured reserve. With all four top receivers healthy, the Bucs’ passing game is starting to look like it was meant to from the start of the season.

The Bucs’ all-time receiving leader wasted little time getting back to business, making his first catch since breaking his collarbone against the Detroit Lions in Week 7. Naturally, he catches a first-down conversion to keep the Bucs’ second drive alive.

Bucs regular-season schedule 2025

Below is Tampa Bay’s regular-season schedule.

Week 1: W, 30-27 over the Atlanta Falcons (1-0)Week 2: W, 20-19 over the Houston Texans (2-0)Week 3: W, 29-27 over the New York Jets (3-0)Week 4: L, 31-25 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)Week 5: W, 38-35 over the Seattle Seahawks (4-1)Week 6: W, 30-19 over the San Francisco 49ers (5-1)Week 7: L, 24-9 loss to the Detroit Lions (5-2)Week 8: W, 23-3 win over the New Orleans Saints (6-2)Week 9: BYE WeekWeek 10: L, 28-23 loss to the New England Patriots (6-3)Week 11: L, 44-32 loss to the Buffalo Bills (6-4)Week 12: L, 34-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams (6-5)Week 13: W, 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals (7-5)Week 14: L, 24-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints (7-6)Week 15: Thursday, Dec. 11, Atlanta Falcons, 8:15 P.M., Amazon PrimeWeek 16: Sunday, Dec. 21, at Carolina Panthers, 4:30 P.M., FOXWeek 17: Sunday, Dec. 28, at Miami Dolphins, 1:00 P.M., FOXWeek 18: Sunday, Jan. 4, Carolina Panthers, Time TBA, Channel TBA