Ryan Fitzpatrick plays well, but comeback falls short for Tampa Bay Buccaneers against Falcons

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking forward to the return of Jameis Winston. Not that they're complaining about his backup. Ryan Fitzpatrick turned in another solid performance in his third straight start Sunday, nearly rallying the Bucs from a 21-point deficit. But a fourth-down pass was batted down near the goal line midway through the fourth quarter, and the Atlanta Falcons held on for a 34-20 victory that snapped Tampa Bay's two-game winning streak with Fitzpatrick at the helm. "Ryan did fine," coach Dirk Koetter said. "He hung in there and again he didn't turn the ball over and when you don't turn the ball over in the NFL, you are going to have a chance, which we did." Atlanta's Julio Jones had 12 receptions for 253 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yarder from fellow receiver Sanu.. After the Bucs (4-7) fell behind 27-6 early in the third quarter, Fitzpatrick led them back. He completed four passes for 62 yards, setting up a short touchdown run by Peyton Barber. After the Bucs got the ball back, he connected on five throws for 67 yards, in addition to scrambling for an 11-yard gain, before Barber punched it over again from the 1 to bring Tampa Bay within 27-20.