Quarterbacks: Chris Simms didn't produce any eye-popping stats; in fact, his QB rating was a worrisome 54.3. However, he managed the offense extremely well, made good decisions with the ball and minimized his mistakes. His one pick was costly, but he made up for it by engineering a pair of late scoring drives. On the road and in a division game, Simms took yet another big step in his development.

Running Backs: Cadillac Williams finally ran like the Cadillac we saw during the first three games of the season. On 19 carries he gained 116 yards and scored a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 13 yards. Mike Alstott had a big touchdown leap and a 6-yard run but he wasn't much of a factor beyond that. Michael Pittman had a key 6-yard run near the goal line that helped this unit finish with a 5.2-yards per carry average.

Wide Receivers: The Falcons did an excellent job of taking Joey Galloway out of the offense, but that didn't keep the Bucs from making some big plays in the passing game. Alex Smith stepped up and is fast becoming one of Simms' favorite targets. Michael Clayton returned and caught three passes, including one on third down for 27 yards. On a day when it seemed the tight ends were being featured more than usual, Anthony Becht also had a big reception.

Offensive Line: You got the feeling right from the start that these guys were in for a good day. They opened up a gaping hole that allowed Williams to break off a 30-yard run on the first play from scrimmage and seldom struggled in either pass protection or as run blockers. Despite facing a lot of blitzes, they didn't allow a sack, they minimized penalties and they regularly allowed Williams to get to the second level.

Defensive Line: Falcons LT Kevin Shaffer is still trying to figure out how to block Simeon Rice. Rice was very strong early on, recording a sack and forcing a fumble that was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by Anthony McFarland. These guys were strong against the run at times but too often allowed Warrick Dunn or T.J. Duckett to get by them for big gains. The pressure they applied to Michael Vick was decent at times but not quite good enough.

Linebackers: Like the linemen, these guys did an adequate job of filling against the run at times, but they weren't consistent enough. Derrick Brooks gets credit for a big QB pressure and Shelton Quarles was on the spot to pounce on the fumble Brooks' pressure created. Quarles finished with a team-best nine tackles and Brooks racked up eight while playing hurt. Ryan Nece didn't have one of his better days, but the overall effort was good when it had to be.

Secondary: Juran Bolden was sensational early on. He was very aggressive while playing in tight coverage. As the game developed, though, Bolden and everybody else displayed a tendency to give up some big plays at key times. Ronde Barber got his hands on one ball and Jermaine Phillips nearly had a pick but this group failed to add anything to the takeaway table and needs to play at a higher level if the Bucs are to stay in contention.

Special Teams: Matt Bryant came up with the game-winning kick and he continues to be perfect on field goal tries of 45 yards or less. These guys struggled to avoid penalties again and didn't do anything special in the return game. The coverage units were improved over a week ago, when they allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown, and as always the punting was top drawer.

Coaching: Coach Jon Gruden put together a very sound game plan. Just like he did a week ago he used mostly two-receiver sets. That allowed for more protection for Simms, who took advantage by making good decisions with the ball. He also did a good job mixing up the backfield alignment and calling plays for someone other than Galloway in the passing game. The blitz that starred Brooks came at just the right time. Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin doesn't use Brooks in that role very often but when he does, it makes a difference.