ATLANTA FALCONS SIGN QB PLAYER BETTER, THAN Desmond Ridder.

Chris Godwin, a wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, turned into Baker Mayfield’s go-to man following a turbulent week.

Godwin outgained the Atlanta Falcons 29–25 on Sunday, catching five passes for 53 yards. Godwin’s wife, Mariah, made allegations prior to the game that head coach Todd Bowles had misled her about Godwin’s diminished role due to injuries that the team had disclosed.

As usual, there are elements of the game plan that are related to Chris, Mayfield informed reporters on Sunday. “As I mentioned earlier, they were primarily focused on Mike [Evans] early in the game, so we were able to get Chris open and create some opportunities through man-coverage. Profit from that. Our two best receivers, Chris and Mike, are the ones you want to get the ball to whenever you can.

Godwin has 58 receptions for 659 yards and one touchdown so far this season, which is a good start.

Godwin’s 32-yard reception on the last drive may have saved the season, even though he has only scored one touchdown this year.

With 1:16 remaining in the game, Godwin caught a 32-yard pass from Mayfield on the last drive. It helped Mayfield set up tight end Cade Otton for an 11-yard touchdown pass that sealed the victory.

Regarding Godwin’s catch, Mayfield remarked, “We were playing a four-down situation right there, just trying to get a couple of yards at a time.” However, it was third-and-10, so it’s clear that we failed on the first two. Chris had a fantastic route.

“He has run that 1,000 times, to be honest with you, man coverage—gets up, gets in front of the guy, gets him moving up, breaks out,” Mayfield went on. Yes, there isn’t enough positive to say about him and the work he did today; it was a pivotal moment.

Align that play with Cade. Cade had a one-on-one with the safeties, who were not even aware that he was there, because we knew that down in the red zone, they were going to take Mike and Chris away. Thus, he also made a good play,” Mayfield said.

As a result, Tampa Bay (6-7) and Atlanta (6-7) and the New Orleans Saints (6-7) are tied for first place in the NFC South. If the Bucs had lost on Sunday in Week 14, they would have only had an 8% chance of qualifying for the postseason.

One week after recording his tenth consecutive season of 1,000 yards, Godwin led the receivers while Evans had the most quiet day as the Falcons closed in on him.

“So, their strategy was to remove Mike from the playing field. They were clearly running a lot of man coverage at him and providing safety assistance wherever he was. So, it was up to the other guys. And we succeeded,” Mayfield remarked.

On six targets, Evans managed just eight yards of receptions. This time, Mayfield spread the ball and finished with 144 yards passing and two touchdowns.

Rachaad White, the running back, made a spectacular 31-yard touchdown reception. David Moore, a wide receiver, caught a pass for 11 yards, while fellow running back Chase Edmonds scored on a 10-yard reception.