The Atlanta Falcons overcame a 20–7 halftime deficit to defeat the Buccaneers in overtime on a Mick Luckhurst field goal. The strategy of running out the clock with a conservative offense that had worked so well against the Lions the previous week backfired against the Falcons. The Buccaneers' offensive line failed to dominate, and the Falcons wound up running 57 offensive plays in the second half, while the Buccaneers ran only 26. Twenty of those plays were runs by Gerald Riggs, who finished the day with 127 yards rushing. The Buccaneers outgained the Falcons 255 yards to 190 in the first half, but were outgained 300 yards to 68 in the second half, in which the Buccaneers never advanced beyond midfield. The win left Atlanta undefeated at 4–0.