Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons Match Player Stats On Sep 18, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 18, 2014

Falcons 56, Buccaneers 14: Devin Hester shattered the NFL record for return touchdowns and also scored the first rushing TD of his career as host Atlanta rolled up the second-highest point total in franchise history to annihilate winless Tampa Bay.

Matt Ryan threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-24 and Julio Jones had nine receptions for 161 yards and two scores as the Falcons (2-1) bolted to a 35-0 halftime lead and scored the game's first 56 points. Hester added a pair of second-quarter touchdowns, racing 20 yards on an end-around before taking back a punt 62 yards for his 20th return touchdown, eclipsing the all-time record held by Deion Sanders.

It was an all-around nightmarish performance for Tampa Bay (0-3), which trailed by 35 points and lost starter Josh McCown to a thumb injury less than eight minutes into the second quarter. Mike Glennon's 3-yard scoring pass to Vincent Jackson in the fourth quarter averted a shutout for the Buccaneers, who committed five turnovers and watched Atlanta score three TDs in a 3:10 span to break it open before adding two scores 12 seconds apart in the third quarter.

Ryan picked apart the Buccaneers in the first quarter, completing 11 of his first 12 passes and tossing scoring passes of 3 yards to Harry Douglas and 8 to Jones for a 14-0 lead less than nine minutes in. Kemal Ishmael picked off McCown on the ensuing possession and returned it 23 yards for a 21-0 lead before Hester took a handoff and scooted down the left sideline to make it 28-0 just seven seconds into the second quarter.

Hester etched his name into the record books by dashing 62 yards on a punt return that he culminated by high-stepping into the end zone in a tribute to Sanders with 7:06 left in the half. Atlanta tacked on a pair of TDs in short order in the third quarter on a sensational 40-yard catch by Jones before another turnover set up Steven Jackson's 1-yard run for a staggering 49-0 lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Hester, who registered his 14th career punt return to go with five kick returns and a return of a missed field goal, became the first player since Reggie Bush in 2009 to have a rushing score and punt return TD in the same game. ... McCown (5-for-8, 58 yards, 1 INT) injured his thumb midway through the second quarter when he hit the facemask of a defender on a pass attempt and was replaced by Glennon, who finished 17-of-24 for 121 yards and a TD. ... Tampa Bay was without starting RB Doug Martin (knee), Pro Bowl DT Gerald McCoy (broken hand) and MLB Mason Foster (shoulder). Atlanta starting WR Roddy White (hamstring) was also inactive and Douglas, who replaced him in the starting lineup, suffered a foot injury in the second quarter and did not return.