Quick Take: Falcons beat Bucs, eye playoffs

Published: Dec 14, 2008 at 09:54 AM

It was over when ...
Jason Elam's 34-yard field goal barely squeezed inside the upright to give Atlanta a huge overtime victory over NFC South rival Tampa Bay. The Falcons and Buccaneers are both 9-5 and still in the hunt for a playoff berth.

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Game ball
Falcons RB Michael Turner set up the winning field goal by running for 34 yards in the extra session, and he came up big on a day when rookie QB Matt Ryan was shaky at times.

Key stat
One week after being lit up by the Panthers for 299 rushing yards on Monday Night Football, the Buccaneers' rush defense was once again gashed -- this time for 175 yards.

Noteworthy
Bucs RB Warrick Dunn became the sixth player in league history with 10,000 rushing yards and 500 catches. ... Jeff Garcia sat out with a calf injury, and Brian Griese got the start at quarterback for Tampa Bay. ... Falcons DE John Abraham's three sacks gave him a career-high 15.5 on the season. ... Falcons TE Jason Rader caught his first pass but fell 1 yard short of scoring his first touchdown when he fumbled the ball before crossing the goal line.

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