The Atlanta Falcons arrived in Tampa with a chance to take over first place in the NFC South. Instead, there will be some more soul-searching about who this team is.

The Buccaneers bludgeoned the Falcons in the trenches with not one, but two running backs running for career highs. The Falcons were supposed to have a good run offense and a good run defense. They still might, but the Buccaneers were better at both.

The conditions were atrocious, but that can't explain away every mistake Michael Penix made. The Falcons drop to 3-5, even with Tampa, a half-game behind the 3-4 Panthers, and the Falcons have lost to both teams.

Slow Start Epidemic 

The first-quarter woes for the Atlanta Falcons continue. Michael Penix has the worst EPA in the NFL in the first quarter, and it got worse today with two interceptions. He was top 10 in the NFL overall in EPA, despite his dreadful starts to games.

The Falcons tried to change it up by taking the ball when they won the opening coin toss, but that still didn’t help.

Despite the two turnovers, the Falcons' defense held the Bucs to two field goals and escaped the first quarter only down 6-0.

But...

It Didn’t Get Better

It was supposed to be a happy homecoming for Penix, but this is a game he'd like to forget.

Penix threw four interceptions. Some of that could be attributed to the weather, but his fourth interception came after it had stopped raining and was just a poor read.

The Buccaneers dominated the Falcons in the trenches across the course of the game, so they could afford to get literally less than nothing from their passing game.

The Falcons fell behind and needed Penix to throw the ball. It wasn’t his day. A 77-yard catch-and-run by Jahan Dotson helped make the box score look a little better, but Penix finished 8/24 passing for 125 yards with four interceptions. And frankly, there could have been at least two more.

Zac Robinson Commits to the Run

Penix threw his third interception just 17 minutes into the game. Baker Mayfield only threw the ball three times in the entire game, all in the first half.

Tampa built a 9-0 lead on 128 rushing yards and three field goals off of three Penix INTs. They finished with a franchise-record 322 yards, with both Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell getting career highs of 170 and 140 yards, respectively.

Trust in Michael Penix's Knee

Penix missed the end of last season and the beginning of this season with an ACL tear. He’s looked completely recovered, but if there was ever an indication that he’s 100%, it was this: QB sneaks. The Falcons have been loathe to run quarterback sneaks with Penix. He ran three sneaks, including on back-to-back plays.

There were no worries about his knee coming out of this game. Unfortunately, his performance is going to lead to several more questions.  

James Pearce Jr. Will Help, but…

The Atlanta Falcons get James Pearce Jr. back next week ahead of their trip to Madrid to face the Bengals. However, if they don’t find a way to seal the edge off left tackle better, he’s not going to make much of a difference.

The Buccaneers had two huge plays in the third quarter at left tackle that set up their first touchdown to make the score 16-0.

Pearce will help the pass rush, but at the time of the score, with about four minutes left in the third quarter, the Buccaneers had -2, yes, minus two yards passing.  

What's Next?

The Falcons head to Madrid next week to take on a very different Bengals team. Cincinnati will stress the Falcons through the air and not in the trenches the way the Buccaneers did.

Atlanta isn't out of it in a weak NFC South, but the game next Sunday in Spain has become must-win.