NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints

Buccaneers

• According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin is expected to miss time with his hamstring injury and it could be multiple games considering Tampa Bay has two games in the next nine days.

Falcons

The Falcons became the first team in NFL history to lose two games in one season while having a 15+ point lead in the fourth quarter by collapsing yet again in Sunday’s loss to the Bears, per ESPN. Including the monumental failure in the Super Bowl after leading 28-3, the Falcons have lost five games with leads of 15+ in the fourth quarter since 2016, three more than any other NFL team. 

Falcons HC Dan Quinn has taken a lot of the blame for the team becoming consistent chokers and he didn’t shy away from that this week, saying the loss “falls on me in all spaces.” But Quinn saved his job last year because the players didn’t give up on him, and they’re still in his corner now. 

“We know what he means to us,” Falcons RB Todd Gurley said via Will McFadden of the team website. “We did not finish for him. We did not finish for each other. We did not finish for the Falcons. We did not finish for the brotherhood. This has nothing to do with him.”

• Falcons placed CB Darqueze Dennard on injured reserve. (NFLTR)
• Falcons signed DE Austin Edwards to their practice squad.
• Falcons released CB D.J. White and LB Deone Bucannon from the practice squad. 

Saints

• According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Saints QB Taysom Hill has seen his snap counts on special teams drop steeply and more slightly on offense over the first three weeks of the season. 
• A league source says Hill’s usage is entirely up to HC Sean Payton and there’s some belief the team is taking some things off Hill’s plate to focus more on developing him as the heir to QB Drew Brees.
• Saints signed C Will Clapp to their practice squad.