Baker Mayfield's reaction says it all as Tampa Bay Buccaneers implode against Atlanta Falcons

Baker Mayfield was left with a look of disbelief as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a late meltdown to hand the Atlanta Falcons a dramatic 36-30 win in overtime on Thursday

Baker Mayfield's expression told the whole story as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were left shocked by the Atlanta Falcons in an overtime thriller on Thursday.

The Bucs had a chance to move to 4-1 for the season, but a series of late errors cost them dearly, allowing Kirk Cousins and the Falcons to push the game into overtime before KhaDarel Hodge sealed a dramatic finish with a 45-yard touchdown, securing a 36-30 victory.

Former No. 1 overall pick Mayfield maintained his impressive form from the start of the season, completing 19 out of 24 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns as the Buccaneers neared victory.

They seemed to have the win within their grasp until rookie running back Bucky Irving fumbled the ball deep in Falcons' territory, leading 30-27 with less than three minutes left.

The former Oregon standout was let off the hook once when defensive talisman Lavonte David intercepted a Cousins pass in Falcons territory shortly after, only for the Bucs offense to squander another opportunity to clinch the game in regular time. A costly holding penalty pushed them out of field goal range, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Falcons with just a minute remaining.

Former Minnesota Vikings star Cousins has excelled in hurry-up situations since joining the Falcons in the offseason and he demonstrated this again at Mercedes Benz Stadium on Thursday night, driving his team into field goal range before Younghoe Koo kicked a 52-yarder as time ran out to force overtime.

Once again, the Bucs have their opponent a helping hand. Zyon McCollum's missed tackle on Hodge proved costly as the cornerback watched Hodge slice through the Bucs' defence and charge into the endzone for a walk-off touchdown, triggering wild celebrations from the Falcons' bench.

The cameras of Amazon Prime Video immediately cut to a shell-shocked Mayfield, who was visibly trying to comprehend how the win had eluded him.

"All I care about is wins," he declared to the press. "We've got to find a way to finish that game out on offense. We have to make the plays when they're there. In the second half, we've got to take care of the football and we've got to finish on offense."

Echoing Mayfield's sentiments, head coach Todd Bowles remarked: "We just have to close out games. We had opportunities on both sides of the ball. We didn't finish. We did some good things; we did a lot of bad things to lose the ballgame. So we'll get some rest and we'll get some guys healthy and we'll get ready for next week. We've got a good football team; we didn't finish the game."

"We were not where we were supposed to be. We missed a lot of plays. We can't play the Bucs and the Falcons."

The result could have a major impact come January, with the Falcons holding a tie-breaker in the NFC South playoff race. The Bucs (3-2) are set for another division clash when they return to action on October 13, heading to Caesars Superdome to face off against the New Orleans Saints.

Similarly, the Falcons (3-2) are also gearing up for a divisional showdown in Week 6 as they travel to Charlotte to take on the Carolina Panthers (1-3).