Falcons survive crazy end vs. Bucs
ATLANTA — After Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston traded touchdown pass after touchdown pass, it came down to a few wacky flips near the goal line.
The Buccaneers nearly pulled off a miracle, but the Falcons finally got a much-needed victory to bounce their way.
Ryan threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns, and the Falcons snapped a three-game losing streak with a 34-29 victory Sunday in Winston’s return as the Bucs’ starter.
The Falcons (2-4) scored on their first three possessions and held off a wild comeback by the Bucs (2-3) to avoid their first 1-5 start since 2007.
‘‘It was all hands on deck,’’ Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. Especially on the final play. The Bucs drove to the Falcons’ 21 but were out of timeouts. With the Falcons dropping nearly everyone toward the end zone, expecting a pass, Winston took the snap and darted straight up the middle of the field. When he was about to be tackled at the 10, he pitched the ball toward receiver Adam Humphries, who was so intent on scoring what would have been the go-ahead touchdown that he couldn’t hang on.
The ball skipped to receiver Mike Evans, who blindly flung it in the direction of receiver DeSean Jackson along the sideline at the 5. Jackson might have had a chance to dive for the end zone, but he couldn’t come up with another bouncing ball. It rolled harmlessly out of bounds to end the game.
‘‘The play is a play you run once,’’ Bucs tight end O.J. Howard said. ‘‘It was a great call. We almost got it.’’
Winston, who was suspended for the first three games of the season for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy and came off the bench against the Bears in Week 4, threw for 395 yards and four touchdowns. But his performance was marred by two interceptions, one a deep ball that was picked off at the Falcons’ 1 and one a deflected pass in the end zone that ricocheted high in the air and was grabbed by the Falcons’ Brian Poole.
Quinn made a gutsy call with just more than a minute left, sending kicker Matt Bryant onto the field to try a 57-yard field goal with the Falcons clinging to a 31-29 lead. Bryant’s kick just cleared the crossbar and forced the Bucs to go for a touchdown on their final drive.
‘‘I can’t say enough about Matt Bryant and the kick he had,’’ Quinn said. ‘‘He’s definitely one of the most mentally tough players I’ve had a chance to coach.’’