The Buccaneers didn’t play Mike Evans at all. Tom Brady played five possessions, leaving with 4:00 left in the second quarter. Other starters either didn’t play or left early.
The result didn’t matter to the Bucs, who are locked into the No. 4 seed in the NFC, and they lost 30-17 to finish 8-9 on the season.
The Bucs clinched the NFC South title last week.
The Falcons finished their season 7-10 but should be encouraged by the play of some of their young players Sunday.
Rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder completed 19 of 30 passes 224 yards and two touchdowns, though he did lose a fumble; rookie running back Tyler Allgeier ran for 135 yards on 24 carries; and rookie receiver Drake London caught six passes for 120 yards.
The Falcons trailed 17-10 at halftime, but outscored the Bucs 20-0 in the second half.
The Bucs were outgained 382 to 222.
Brady set the NFL record for completions in a season after completing 13 of 17 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. He broke his own record with 490 completions on the season, five more than last season. Blaine Gabbert was 6-of-8 for 29 yards and a touchdown. Kyle Trask went 3-of-9 for 23 yards.