The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost at home in Week 14, as did their upcoming Thursday Night Football opponent, the Atlanta Falcons. The Buccaneers' late comeback attempt was snipped by the visiting New Orleans Saints in a 24-20 decision. The Falcons played the streaking Seahawks to a halftime tie before Seattle hit the gas pedal in the second half and pulled away for a 37-9 win.

It was a disappointing weekend for both NFC South teams, but the consequences were more final for the Falcons. While the Bucs dropped into a first-place tie with Carolina at 7-6 and have two upcoming games against the Panthers that will likely decide the division, the Falcons were officially eliminated from the playoff hunt after dropping to 4-9. One might expect that to create a motivational gulf between the Buccaneer

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