Did Raheem Morris buy himself time with Falcons win over Bucs?

The Falcons have been on the wrong end of several heartbreakers on their way to a 4-9 record entering Thursday night’s matchup against the Buccaneers, but they finally returned the favor to a division rival with a fourth-quarter comeback for the ages — fueled by massive performances from Kirk Cousins, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson.

The 14-year veteran was making just his fifth start of the season under center and coming off a forgettable showing in Atlanta’s 37-9 loss to the Seahawks the week prior. But for whatever reason, Cousins seems to have Tampa Bay’s number. He shredded the Bucs’ defense for 373 yards and three touchdowns, three of which went to Kyle Pitts.

Pitts produced what was essentially a quarter of a season’s worth of offense in one night. He hauled in 11 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns, all career highs, reminding everyone why the organization once believed he could be a cornerstone of the offense.

Of course, Bijan Robinson was his usual splendid self as well, rushing 19 times for 93 yards and adding eight receptions for another 82 yards. He entered the game leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage, and there’s a strong chance he’ll still hold that distinction once the slate wraps up on Monday night.

But despite all the offensive fireworks, the Falcons somehow found themselves trailing by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for one primary reason: penalties. Atlanta committed 19 of them, setting a new franchise record. Fortunately for the Falcons, the Buccaneers made plenty of mistakes of their own, allowing Atlanta to hang around long enough to eventually put the proverbial nail in the coffin.

An eight-play, 65-yard touchdown drive on the Falcons’ first possession of the fourth quarter cut the deficit to eight after a failed two-point conversion. Dee Alford then delivered a game-changing interception just as Tampa Bay was entering field goal range, setting Atlanta up for another touchdown. Once again, though, a failed two-point attempt left the Falcons trailing by two.

The Buccaneers had an opportunity to ice the game, but finally, Atlanta’s much-improved defense came through late when it mattered most, led by the pass rush. The Falcons’ fifth sack of the night forced Tampa Bay to punt with two minutes remaining, giving Kirk Cousins one final chance to complete the comeback. But it wouldn’t come without some more drama.

A sack, followed by a penalty, then an incompletion set up a daunting third-and-28. Cousins cut the distance in half with a strike to Kyle Pitts, but Atlanta still needed 14 yards on fourth down to avoid another soul-crushing loss. It was an all-too-familiar feeling… until it wasn’t.

Cousins found David Sills V down the sideline for 21 yards. A six-yard completion to Darnell Mooney followed, then a Bijan Robinson run drained the clock down to five seconds. It was all up to Zane Gonzalez, and he drilled a 43-yard field goal to deliver the knockout blow.

Prior to the game, Ian Rapoport reported that Arthur Blank plans to wait until the end of the season to fully evaluate general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris. It’s well known that Blank likes both men and is not eager to initiate another full-scale regime change at his age. A strong finish could potentially save their jobs.

However, nobody should be fooled by Thursday night’s result.

The Falcons did everything possible to lose this game. The sheer volume of undisciplined, drive-killing penalties on both sides of the ball was a crime against the sport. It’s nice to be on the right side of a win like this, especially against a division rival, but the coaching staff deserves little credit. This remains a team that consistently fails on the margins — they just happened to be playing another team that didn’t want to win on this particular night.

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Photo: Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire

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