NFL game summary for 09/24/1978:
Doug Williams passed 15 yards to Jim Obradovich with 8:01 left in the game to propel the Buccaneers to their second straight victory. The Falcons' defense did not allow Tampa Bay a first down until the third quarter. Blocked kicks resulted in first period points for both teams, while Steve Bartkowski accounted for the only third period score, a five-yard touchdown pass to Alfred Jackson. Williams got the Tampa Bay offense untracked in the fourth quarter, driving 57 yards in eight plays for the winning score.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 85.7 (27) | 73.7 (26) | 159.3 (28) | 8 |
| DEFENSE | 136.0 (12) | 173.0 (16) | 309.0 (15) | 11 | |
 | OFFENSE | 132.3 (14) | 39.3 (28) | 171.7 (27) | 11 |
| DEFENSE | 99.3 (4) | 118.3 (7) | 217.7 (3) | 8 |
Line: Falcons by 2½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons (1-3-0) | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2-0) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
( 2- 0) ATL Safety, Frank Reed blocked punt out of end zone ( 2- 7) TB Mike Washington 79 yard return of blocked field goal (Neil O'Donoghue kick) ( 9- 7) ATL Alfred Jackson 5 yard pass from Steve Bartkowski (Fred Steinfort kick) ( 9-14) TB Jim Obradovich 15 yard pass from Doug Williams (Neil O'Donoghue kick)
ATL TB
First Downs: 13 10
Rushes-yards: 40-148 34-94
Yards/rush: 3.7 2.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 12-24-81-3 7-24-95-0
Sacked-yards: 1-12 1-13
Net pass yards: 69 82
Net yards/pass: 2.8 3.3
Total net yards: 217 176
Total plays: 65 (61% run) 59 (57% run)
Yards/play: 3.3 3.0
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 2-1
Turnovers: 3 1
Penalties-yards: 6-55 9-73
Attendance: 58,073
Passing:
ATL: Steve Bartkowski, 12 of 24 for 81 yards and 1 TD (3 int) TB: Doug Williams, 6 of 23 for 74 yards and 1 TD; Louis Carter, 1 of 1 for 21 yards
Rushing:
ATL: Haskel Stanback, 23 for 112 yards; Bubba Bean, 10 for 29 yards; Steve Bartkowski, 4 for 1 yard; Ricky Patton, 3 for 6 yards TB: Ricky Bell, 18 for 50 yards; Jimmy DuBose, 11 for 50 yards; Doug Williams, 4 for -8 yards; Johnny Davis, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
ATL: Bubba Bean, 4 for 23 yards; Billy Ryckman, 4 for 23 yards; Alfred Jackson, 2 for 19 yards and 1 TD; Haskel Stanback, 1 for 13 yards; Mike Esposito, 1 for 3 yards TB: Isaac Hagins, 4 for 45 yards; Jim Obradovich, 2 for 36 yards and 1 TD; John McKay, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
ATL: Alfred Jackson, 2 for 47 yards; Ray Strong, 1 for 19 yards TB: George Ragsdale, 2 for 56 yards
Punt returns:
ATL: Alfred Jackson, 5 for 33 yards TB: Isaac Hagins, 3 for 23 yards; Larry Mucker, 2 for 4 yards
Interceptions:
TB: Curtis Jordan, 1 for 0 yards; Dewey Selmon, 1 for 0 yards; Mike Washington, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
ATL: John James, 8 for 342 yards TB: Dave Green, 9 for 389 yards
Field Goals:
ATL: Fred Steinfort, 0/1
ATL: Steve Bartkowski, 12 of 24 for 81 yards and 1 TD (3 int) TB: Doug Williams, 6 of 23 for 74 yards and 1 TD; Louis Carter, 1 of 1 for 21 yards
Rushing:
ATL: Haskel Stanback, 23 for 112 yards; Bubba Bean, 10 for 29 yards; Steve Bartkowski, 4 for 1 yard; Ricky Patton, 3 for 6 yards TB: Ricky Bell, 18 for 50 yards; Jimmy DuBose, 11 for 50 yards; Doug Williams, 4 for -8 yards; Johnny Davis, 1 for 2 yards
Receiving:
ATL: Bubba Bean, 4 for 23 yards; Billy Ryckman, 4 for 23 yards; Alfred Jackson, 2 for 19 yards and 1 TD; Haskel Stanback, 1 for 13 yards; Mike Esposito, 1 for 3 yards TB: Isaac Hagins, 4 for 45 yards; Jim Obradovich, 2 for 36 yards and 1 TD; John McKay, 1 for 14 yards
Kick returns:
ATL: Alfred Jackson, 2 for 47 yards; Ray Strong, 1 for 19 yards TB: George Ragsdale, 2 for 56 yards
Punt returns:
ATL: Alfred Jackson, 5 for 33 yards TB: Isaac Hagins, 3 for 23 yards; Larry Mucker, 2 for 4 yards
Interceptions:
TB: Curtis Jordan, 1 for 0 yards; Dewey Selmon, 1 for 0 yards; Mike Washington, 1 for 0 yards
Punting:
ATL: John James, 8 for 342 yards TB: Dave Green, 9 for 389 yards
Field Goals:
ATL: Fred Steinfort, 0/1