Falcons rookie wide receiver Justin Hardy, who was making his NFL debut, made the first catch of his NFL career on the last play of the first quarter.
On third-and-8 from Atlanta’s 31, Hardy jumped up high to haul down a Matt Ryan pass for a 12-yard game. He held onto the ball as serveral Buccaneers tried to pry it away.
Hardy, a fourth-round pick from East Carolina, was active for the first time this season because of hamstring injuries to Leonard Hankerson and Nick Williams.