The Falcons were entirely posed to retake the lead in the waning seconds of the first half, but a rare Matt Bryant miss - a complete hookshot from 22 yards out, no less - kept this game tied at 10 points apiece at the half.
Matt Ryan's 10-completion streak to start the game was broken on an off-target pass over the middle that was intercepted by the ageless Ronde Barber. He is now 15-for-19 passing for 173 yards.
Despite the offensive shortcomings, Atlanta's defense - consistently poor against the run this season - managed to keep rookie of the year candidate Doug Martin on lockdown, limiting him to 24 yards on eight carries thus far.
Kroy Biermann and Dunta Robinson both recorded sacks of Josh Freeman as well, adding to the strong defensive rebound after the Falcons allowed Tampa to score quickly on the game's opening drive.
The only obvious mistake would come on a Greg Schiano trick play you'd more often see in college than in pro ball. Freeman hit receiver Mike Williams on a screen pass, who then threw the ball downfield to Vincent Jackson for a gain of 28 yards.
Freeman, however, has been limited to just 61 yards on five completions through the first half.