ATLANTA – Following the Falcons' 34-29 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one word that was often expressed by the players in the locker room was "finish."
And the Falcons did just that.
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After two heart-breaking losses at Mercedes-Benz Stadium where the Falcons had a lead at the start of the fourth quarter, they didn't finish to their standard. So much so that Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said his team needed to "develop that instinct."
Against the Buccaneers with their backs against the wall, they finished. Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant was right at the front of that mission.
"It's good to close the game," Trufant said. "We've definitely been focused on finishing the game when we got the opportunity. I'm happy with result."
The Falcons' two defensive turnovers played a role in the win. Damontae Kazee recorded his third interception on the year and Brian Poole collected his first of the season on a tipped pass.
With barely over a minute left in the game, the Buccaneers managed to go down the field and had a chance to score and put the game away, but the Falcons weren't going to let that script be written again.
According to linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, Atlanta's defensive players felt like they "needed to make something happen."
Despite having a lead for majority of the game, the Falcons' defensive players never let themselves "get complacent."
"As a defense, we [were] constantly reminding each other on the sideline like, 'Don't get complacent. We've been here before and we haven't finished. We just have to finish.'"
