The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in the game late in the game, but defensive struggles and sloppy play prevented them from beating the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Bucs lost the NFC South game 31-26 on Sunday, losing 2-0 to the Falcons and falling to 4-4 on the season. Despite a still-firing offensive performance, the five-point loss had both good and bad sides.

Here are 3 Up and 3 Down from our creamy throwback on Sunday:

Bucky Irving

Bucky Irving continues to be great at running back. Irving, who managed to evade tackles with astonishing speed, went on to swing for 4.9 yards on nine attempts. One of his best runs was a 15-yard dash that saw him find every lane in the defence, and he managed to turn what appeared to be a two-yard loss into a one-yard gain by running through the defence. His tackle ability is real and he showed it very well on Sunday.

Cade Otto

Happy National Tight Ends Day! Cade Otton capitalized on that, recording two touchdowns and serving as Tampa Bay’s leading receiver with nine receptions for 81 yards. He cooled off after an explosive first quarter, but caught Tampa Bay’s final touchdown near the end of the game to get them back into the game.

Liam Coen

Offensive coordinator Liam Coen didn’t have a Mike Evans or Chris Godwin, but he still managed to make it work. Tampa Bay’s offense scored 24 points in the game and rushed for 4.6 yards per carry, showing it can get the job done without its stars. A poor defensive performance did not earn him the win, but Coen has a lot to be proud of after this performance.

MORE: Bucs Lose to Falcons 31-26 Behind Defensive Failures

Todd Bowles

Communication issues and lack of concentration have plagued the Buccaneers defense for weeks, and head coach Todd Bowles has yet to address it. Bowles is the defensive coordinator, but his team has been undisciplined the last few games. There have been injuries, yes, but the Bucs still need to not give up 27 or more points in their last three games.

Tyrek Funderburk

Funderburk is a UDFA, so this isn’t too much of an indictment on him, and regardless, he made a good play defending a deep pass against Darnell Mooney early in the game. However, continued poor play from then on, with Jamel Dean in relief, eventually led to him being benched in place of Josh Hayes for the back half of the game. Funderburk is a raw commodity and needs NFL experience, so it’s hard to blame him when he’s not a starter at this point, but he had a tough game against the Falcons.

Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield has played good football this year, but hasn’t been able to play cleanly the last few weeks. Mayfield had seven interceptions in three weeks, and while his defense was better, Tampa Bay’s lack of home points cost the Falcons dearly on Sunday. Mayfield had just 10 interceptions all of last year, so he’ll have to do his best to keep those up.

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