Game Recap: Falcons vs. Bucs

• The Falcons improved to 5-1 following the bye week under Head Coach Mike Smith with a 31-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Georgia Dome on Sunday. Atlanta has won five straight games coming off of the bye dating back to 2009.
• WR Harry Douglas had a breakout game, catching seven passes for a career-high 149 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown. He has now caught a touchdown in each of his last two games against the Buccaneers. Additionally, Douglas' 149-yard outburst the highest single-game total by any Falcon receiver against the Buccaneers, topping 147-yard games by both WR Julio Jones and WR Andre Rison.
• Sunday marked Douglas' second career 100-yard game, topping his previous career-best of 133 receiving yards set on 11/13/11 against the New Orleans Saints. Douglas averaged 21.3 yards per catch, his highest average in a game with five-or-more receptions.
• Douglas' 37-yard touchdown reception came on the first play of Atlanta's final drive in the first half and was the Falcons second quick strike touchdown of the season. Quick strike drives are defined as scores coming on drives lasting four or fewer plays. Over the last two seasons, the Falcons have scored 10 times on drives lasting four-or-fewer plays, resulting in 70 points.
• QB Matt Ryan finished the game completing 20 of 26 passes for 273 with three touchdowns and a career-high 148.4 passer rating. Ryan has led the Falcons to an 18-1 record when he throws three-or-more touchdown passes and a 34-2 record when his quarterback rating is 100-or-higher.
• Ryan hit RB Jacquizz Rodgers for a 19-yard touchdown in the first half, giving him 12 straight games with at least one touchdown pass. He connected with Douglas for a 37-yard touchdown later in the first half for his second touchdown of the game. Ryan has thrown multiple touchdowns in all six games this season and he has tossed two-or-more scores in eight of his last 10 games dating back to last season.
• Rodgers pulled in his second touchdown catch on the day in the second half, catching a short pass from Ryan and running eight yards into the endzone. Rodgers' two touchdown catches on Sundaywere his first of the season and pushed his career total for receiving TDs to four.
• This season, Rodgers has four touchdowns, two rushing and two receiving, including multiple touchdowns in back-to-back games. The third-year pro rushed for a pair of scores against the Jets in Week 5 and caught two touchdown passes on Sunday against the Buccaneers. 
• Rodgers finished the game with a team-high eight receptions for 46 yards with two touchdowns. He also added eight carries for 16 yards. Rodgers has tallied eight total touchdowns with four on the ground and four through the air during his career.
• The Falcons offense has benefited greatly from its versatile running backs as five of Ryan's 13 TD passes have been caught by running backs, including two by both Rodgers and RB Jason Snelling.
• The Falcons defense set the tone for the day on the Buccaneers' first drive as S William Moore strip-sacked QB Mike Glennon on Tampa's third play. S Thomas DeCoud recovered the fumble and raced 30 yards to the endzone for a touchdown.
• The Falcons have scored two defensive touchdowns in 2013, DeCoud's 30-yard fumble recovery and DE Osi Umenyiora's 68-yard interception return. Since 2008, Atlanta owns a 13-3 record when scoring a defensive touchdown.
• The score marked DeCoud's first career touchdown and the third fumble recovery of his six-year NFL career. DeCoud is the fifth defensive player to score on a fumble recovery since 2008, joining Jonathan Babineaux (2), Kroy Biermann, Corey Peters and former Falcon Lawrence Sidbury.

List of defensive fumble return touchdowns since 2008

• Atlanta continued to show an improved pass rush, recording three sacks for a loss of 30 yards. Moore dropped Glennon for a 15-yard loss, DT Peria Jerry dragged the rookie passer for a 10-yard loss, and LB Joplo Bartu and DE Jonathan Massaquoi combined for a five-yard sack. Atlanta has recorded seven sacks in its last two games.
• TE Tony Gonzalez caught two passes for 30 yards and has posted at least one reception in 201 consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak in NFL history.
• Since 2008, the Falcons have posted a 35-9 record (.795) at the Georgia Dome, which is the fourth-best mark in the NFL. Since Arthur Blank purchased the Falcons in 2002, the club has sold out 90 of its last 92 home games, including 44 in-a-row dating back to 2008. With a sellout on Sunday, the Falcons broke the franchise record for consecutive sellouts, set when Atlanta sold out 43 straight games from 2002 to 2007.