Tampa Bay Buccaneers trounce Atlanta Falcons

Bobby Rainey scored three touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cruised to their second consecutive victory in the NFL with a 41-28 win over NFC South rivals the Atlanta Falcons.

The Buccaneers opened the scoring late in the first quarter when Rian Lindell kicked a 30-yard field goal, but it was soon level again courtesy of a Matt Bryant kick early in the second.

Rainey scored his first touchdown of the night with a 43-yard run into the end zone before Mason Foster picked off a Matt Ryan pass to return it 37 yards for a touchdown.

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Rainey's second touchdown came with 3:23 remaining in the second quarter as he went over from three yards to complete a spell of 21 unanswered points for his side.

That run ended with Bryant's 49-yard field goal late in the first half, but Rainey once again proved to be the scourge of the Falcons' defense with his third score of the night, this time from a four-yard Mike Glennon pass.

Glennon provided a second touchdown pass with just under two minutes left in the third quarter, this time finding Vincent Jackson from three yards out.

There was still time in the third quarter for the Falcons to get a score back, Harry Douglas combining with Ryan for an 80-yard touchdown that reduced the deficit to 25 points.

Lindell extended the lead with a 46-yard kick midway through the fourth quarter before Antone Smith embarked on a 50-yard run into the end zone to give the Falcons a glimmer of late hope.

Dominique Davis found Tony Gonzalez for a two-point conversion, while Roddy White further closed the gap with a six-yard score from Ryan's pass late in the quarter.

It was too little too late, however, as the Buccaneers safely negotiated the closing stages to pick up a valuable victory, leaving the Falcons still looking for their first away win of the season.