What an entertaining game to start the season.

The Bucs and Falcons went toe to toe at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a matchup that could have gone either way. Tampa Bay came out with a 23-20 win, but it came down to the last second. Starting the season off 1-0 is nice, but there were obvious areas of improvement going forward. Here is what was most disappointing from the victory.

ILB SirVocea Dennis

SirVocea Dennis had to win a one-on-one against Falcons running back Bijan Robinson in the flat on a check down from Michael Penix. It did not go well for the third-year linebacker as he allowed Robinson to get the corner and run off to the races for an early 50-yard touchdown and an Atlanta lead. All he could do was dive at Robinson’s wake. Dennis is a player the Bucs believed in, to the point of not trying to find other meaningful options to push him for the starting job this year. The early returns on that decision are not looking good.

On the Bucs’ second drive, Dennis missed a tackle after a catch short of the sticks made by wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III that led to a first down for the Falcons. In the second quarter, Dennis was stiff-armed to the moon by tight end Kyle Pitts to lead off the Falcons’ fifth drive. The pass to the flat went for 12 yards after Dennis missed the would-be tackle. Overall, it was a disappointing game for “Voss.”

DT Logan Hall

Despite his best efforts, Logan Hall was on the receiving end of a beatdown on the Falcons’ first field goal drive in the second quarter. Hall struggled to hold up as a run stopper, getting folded in half on double teams. And as the Falcons faced a 4th and 1 on the Bucs’ 27-yard line, he came free in the backfield for a wide-open tackle for a loss. Running back Tyler Allgeier was able to lower his shoulder and truck-stick Hall back for three yards. The run gained two yards net and Allgeier kept the Falcons drive alive with a first down.

Fourth Quarter Bucs’ Defense

With 11:03 left in the fourth quarter, the Falcons took over possession of the ball at their own 9-yard line. Over the next 8:46 of game clock, they drove 91 yards on 18 plays for a go-ahead touchdown. During that drive, the Bucs committed not one, but two roughing the passer penalties with defensive tackles Vita Vea and Greg Gaines each getting flagged for over-aggressiveness.

One of those penalties negated a Zyon McCollum pass breakup. The breakup should have been an interception though, as the ball floated in and out of McCollum’s hands.

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

Four times on that drive, the Bucs forced the Falcons into a third down. Three of those four times, they failed to stop the Falcons from converting. And the fourth time? They allowed Atlanta to convert fourth down for a touchdown. SirVocea Dennis was once again a major culprit as he committed a holding penalty that was offset on what would have been a 4th down stop at the goal line.

If the Bucs want to be a championship team, they have to show up better than they did on that drive.

K Chase McLaughlin

Chase McLaughlin was uncharacteristically off today. He missed a normally automatic 44-yard field goal in the first half. Those points loomed large throughout the second half, as the Falcons’ go-ahead drive should have just been to tie. McLaughlin once again missed a crucial kick late in the game, which could’ve also gone on to cost Tampa Bay.

After Baker Mayfield led the offense on a phenomenal come-from-behind, 75-yard drive to take the lead 23-20, McLaughlin could have made things near impossible on the Falcons with an extra point. The Bucs kicker hit the left upright and the kick was no good, leaving the opportunity for a Falcons field goal to tie the game for possible overtime.

While everyone in Tampa Bay’s locker room will be breathing a sigh of relief after Younghoe Koo missed the potential game-tying field goal, McLaughlin’s sigh may be the loudest.