"That was a methodical drive," Brooking said Wednesday. "They had two tight ends, two backs and just ran the ball right at us. No excuses. That's frustrating."

Williams ran seven times and gained 42 yards in the final period. He caught Simms' pass in the left flat and ran eight yards to convert a third-and-six from the Atlanta 17.

Even with the two-minute warning at their disposal, the Buccaneers had no tricks in mind as they broke the ensuing huddle. They would send Williams over left tackle. The 9-yard touchdown run, which sucked so much energy out of the Georgia Dome, hammered home a reminder that the Falcons should count their blessings.

Two weeks earlier, the Miami Dolphins faced similar circumstances. They had Williams' former backfield mate at Auburn, Ronnie Brown, and prodigal son Ricky Williams gashing the Falcons and tearing holes in Atlanta's run defense when Miami coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan decided to call a fancy play from the 8-yard line.

The result was Keion Carpenter's first interception since 2003, and the Falcons escaped Dolphins Stadium with a 17-10 victory. It's unlikely that Atlanta could've stopped Brown or Ricky Williams after failing to do so most of the afternoon.

Blame quarterback Michael Vick all you want for coughing up the football on the next series and giving the Bucs their chance to win the game on a field goal, but the run defense seemed covered in cobwebs as Cadillac ran untouched to the end zone.

"On that last drive, they kind of pounded us," Brooking said. "It was like three and four yards. They did that to us at the end. That was very frustrating for me. If you look at our games, a lot of teams haven't done that to us. It's been big plays."