TAMPA (Interstat) — Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals, Bucky Irving added a short touchdown run, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shut out the Atlanta Falcons 16-0 on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay improved to 3-5, and Atlanta dropped to 3-5. Attendance was 61,036. The Buccaneers scored six points in the first quarter, three in the second and seven in the third, then protected the lead through a scoreless fourth quarter. Atlanta never reached the end zone, and Tampa Bay’s defense forced four interceptions while keeping the Falcons off the scoreboard. The result gave Tampa Bay a second consecutive victory and left Atlanta with a loss after its previous win.

Atlanta’s opening possession produced no points when Nick Folk missed a 53-yard field goal wide left with 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter. Tampa Bay answered with McLaughlin’s 46-yard field goal at the 7:43 mark. McLaughlin connected again from 34 yards with 4:02 left in the opening quarter, giving the Buccaneers a 6-0 lead. In the second quarter, McLaughlin made a 42-yard field goal with 4:04 remaining to extend the advantage to 9-0. McLaughlin’s three first-half field goals accounted for all of Tampa Bay’s points before halftime. The Buccaneers entered the break with the shutout intact, and Atlanta’s offense had little to show for its early opportunities. Tampa Bay’s defense consistently gave the Buccaneers good field position, and the Falcons could not turn their limited gains into points.

Tampa Bay put the game further out of reach in the third quarter. Irving finished a drive with a 4-yard touchdown run off right guard with 3:47 remaining, and McLaughlin made the extra point for a 16-0 lead. During the sequence, Tampa Bay tackle T. Wirfs returned to the game after an injury update. The touchdown capped the only scoring drive of the second half. Atlanta could not answer in the fourth quarter, and the Buccaneers’ defense continued to limit big plays. The Falcons moved the ball at times but could not finish drives, leaving Tampa Bay with a comfortable margin and a clean sheet.

Irving, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound running back, led the Buccaneers with 27 carries for 170 yards and one touchdown. Kenny Gainwell added 25 carries for 140 yards and made one tackle, while Baker Mayfield, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound quarterback, rushed four times for 14 yards. Tampa Bay’s ground game controlled the clock and kept Atlanta’s defense on the field. Sean Tucker returned one kickoff for 20 yards, Tez Johnson had two punt returns for 8 yards, and Riley Dixon punted six times for 269 yards. McLaughlin finished 3 for 3 on field goals. Rakeem Nunez-Roches, a 6-foot-2, 307-pound tackle, made two tackles, and Chris Godwin Jr. and Ted Hurst III did not record statistics.

Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr., a 6-foot-2, 216-pound Tampa native, had a 24/8-125yd passing line and added 11 rushing yards on five carries. Bijan Robinson ran 19 times for 76 yards. Jahan Dotson caught two passes for 95 yards, while Khalil Herbert ran four times for 12 yards, caught one pass for 3 yards and returned one kickoff for 29 yards. Austin Hooper had one reception for 9 yards. Drake London caught one pass for 8 yards and made two tackles. Kyle Pitts Sr. had two receptions for 6 yards, and Olamide Zaccheaus caught one pass for 4 yards and returned one kickoff for 37 yards. Jake Bailey, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound punter, punted four times for 193 yards, and Nick Folk missed his 53-yard field-goal attempt. Charlie Woerner did not record a statistic.

Tampa Bay’s defense finished with four interceptions. Jacob Parrish made seven tackles and intercepted one pass, Alex Anzalone had six tackles and two interceptions, and Zyon McCollum had one tackle and one interception. Antoine Winfield Jr. made seven tackles, Josiah Trotter had six tackles, and Calijah Kancey and SirVocea Dennis each made four. Elijah Roberts had three tackles. Vita Vea, Tykee Smith, A’Shawn Robinson and Anthony Nelson each made two tackles. Kevin Knowles, Keionte Scott, Miles Killebrew and Elijah Simmons each had one tackle.

Atlanta’s defense was led by Kendal Daniels with 13 tackles. Xavier Watts made nine tackles, C.J. Henderson had eight, and Harold Perkins Jr. recorded seven tackles and one sack. Jessie Bates III made six tackles, Maason Smith had six, and LaCale London finished with five. Zach Harrison and Cameron Thomas each made four tackles, while Gervon Dexter Sr. and Josh Woods each had three. Samson Ebukam added two tackles. Mike Hughes did not record a statistic.

The result left both teams at 3-5. Tampa Bay had won at Carolina in its previous game, while Atlanta had beaten San Francisco at home in its previous outing. The Buccaneers are scheduled to visit Chicago next, and Atlanta is set to host Cincinnati. Tampa Bay also will play at Detroit and host Carolina later in the month, while Atlanta will host Kansas City and visit Minnesota after its matchup with Cincinnati. Both teams will meet again in Atlanta later in the season. Tampa Bay’s victory followed a 43-13 road win over Carolina, and Atlanta’s loss came after a 29-20 home win over San Francisco.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Tampa Bay 36, Atlanta 27. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Tampa Bay with a 64.9 percent probability to win. Tampa Bay had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -2. The total score of 16 went over the over/under line of 43.5.