TAMPA, Fla. — The Atlanta Falcons couldn’t quite replicate their 42-point thrashing of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers less than two months ago. But they didn’t need to Sunday.

All Atlanta needed was a win to stop its five-game losing skid and get the team back on track, and that’s what the Falcons got in a 27-17 victory over the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

“This is a big boys’ business. You’re judged on wins and losses,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “We’ve got half a season to play, and I can assure you we’re going to do everything in our power each and every week to go 1-0.”

The Falcons (3-6) lit up the Bucs in a 56-14 win at the Georgia Dome on Sept. 18, one of the most convincing wins in franchise history. Sunday’s win was their first since that Week 3 beatdown, yet it brought Atlanta within one game of the division lead in the wide-open NFC South.

The Bucs, meanwhile, lost their fifth straight game as they fell to 1-8. Tampa Bay still has not won a game at home this season.

On the field, in the locker room and at the podium, it’s clear all this losing is starting to affect the Bucs.

“When you walk off and come up short week-in and week-out, that hurts. That’s what hurts,” said Bucs quarterback Josh McCown, still clearly emotional at his postgame press conference after crying in the locker room. “It just hurts, man.”

Tampa Bay gained a one-point lead 42 seconds into the fourth quarter on McCown’s perfectly executed 1-yard, play-action touchdown pass to rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

But the Bucs’ defense, once again granted a fourth-quarter lead, could not make it stand.

On the Falcons’ next drive, quarterback Matt Ryan led Atlanta 65 yards down the field on 10 plays in five minutes. He capped off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Roddy White.

White, who wasn’t on the field for the Falcons’ big win less than two months ago, reeled in six passes for 72 yards.

Ryan finished 20-for-31 with 219 yards and a touchdown, running back Steven Jackson rushed for 81 yards and wide receiver Julio Jones had eight catches for 119 yards.

Ryan hooked up with wide receiver Harry Douglas for the two-point conversion. The Falcons then forced the Bucs to punt on the next drive and set up a 33-yard field goal by Matt Bryant, his fourth of the day.

“In the beginning of the season, we weren’t finishing games,” Jones said. “The way we’ve been practicing lately has been all about finishing. Start fast, and finish games strong. I think we proved that today.”

The Bucs drove down the field with less than two minutes remaining, but cornerback Robert Alford tipped a pass intended for wide receiver Vincent Jackson and safety Dwight Lowery made a diving interception.

The play was ruled an incompletion, but a late challenge just before the Bucs’ next snap revealed that Lowery reeled in the ball, effectively ending the game.

What the Falcons said:

“We needed (a win), obviously. Probably over a month since the last time we won. But we’re not satisfied. We’ve just got to keep working and carry this momentum next week.” — cornerback Desmond Trufant

“We stated early in the week that our goal was to be 1-0, and we got that accomplished. We’ll get on the plane, get back to Atlanta and go for our next 1-0 week.” — coach Mike Smith

What the Bucs said:

“We’re so close. Almost every game, we’re so close. Unfortunately, we’re always on bottom. I don’t know what it is anymore. We just have to keep doing us, have to keep making plays and stop beating ourselves.” — wide receiver Mike Evans

“One and eight. One and eight. And one and eight. You know what? You want to give your teammates and your coaches and your fans and family and everybody here better than that. And it just hurts. It hurts.” — quarterback Josh McCown

What we learned about the Falcons:

1. Despite the long losing streak, they’re not out of it yet. Crazy as it might seem, the Falcons just won for the first time since Week 3 and they’re all of one game out of the NFC South lead. They’re only 3-6, but the division is completely mediocre and therefore totally up for grabs. If Atlanta gets back on track, the team has just as much of a shot at the division title as anyone else. But the Falcons weren’t quite ready for that kind of talk after Sunday’s game. The Falcons can pull ahead of the Panthers next week as the two division rivals square off. And Atlanta has a Week 16 matchup against New Orleans, currently sitting atop the division at 4-5. “We feel good. We just have to keep running,” receiver Julio Jones said. “Everything else will take care of itself. We just have to keep running.”

2. Playing the Bucs is good for what ails them. Of the Falcons’ three wins this season, two have come against the Bucs. This certainly wasn’t the same type of romp the Falcons enjoyed on Sept. 18, when they jumped out to a huge early lead and beat the Bucs, 56-14. But Atlanta might have needed Sunday’s win even more. At times, the Falcons almost gave the game away — drives that ended in field goals instead of touchdowns, a few defensive lapses (especially on third down) and a good-but-not-great overall offensive showing — but Tampa Bay is scuffling even more than Atlanta these days. The Bucs committed costly turnovers, committed key penalties and just generally made mistakes that left the door wide open for the Falcons, who were more than happy to take advantage. “You’ve got to take advantage,” coach Mike Smith said. “When you get a first down, it doesn’t really matter how you get it. I thought the guys did a really nice job.”

–QB Matt Ryan put together a solid game in the Falcons’ 27-17 win over the Bucs on Sunday, completing 20-of-31 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown. It was Ryan’s lowest yardage total of the season, but he managed to lead productive drives without turning over the ball. Given plenty of time in the pocket thanks to a solid offensive line and a weak Bucs pass rush, Ryan targeted eight different receivers but locked in on playmaking receivers Julio Jones (11 targets, eight receptions, 119 yards) and Roddy White (six targets, six receptions, 72 yards and a touchdown). Ryan has thrown a touchdown in every game this season.

–RB Steven Jackson led the Falcons’ rushing attack in their 27-17 win over the Bucs, totaling 81 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries while chipping in two receptions for 14 yards. It was Jackson’s most productive game of the season and his second straight game with a touchdown on the ground. Jackson credited the Falcons’ young offensive line for opening up holes, saying he’s doing nothing different than usual. After only recording 14 carries combined in losses to the Bears and Ravens, Jackson carried the ball 18 times in the Falcons’ 22-21 loss to the Lions and 16 times on Sunday, a clear uptick in his workload.

–K Matt Bryant went 4-for-4 in Sunday’s 27-17 win over the Bucs, with a long of 44 yards. The veteran’s last field goal gave him 600 points with the Falcons, the second-most in franchise history behind Morten Andersen’s 806. “Matt Bryant did a heck of a job making four field goals,” Falcons receiver Roddy White said.

–WR Devin Hester left Sunday’s 27-17 win over the Bucs with an ankle injury and did not return. He was seen after the game favoring his left foot but did not appear to be seriously injured. Hester finished Sunday’s game with one reception for five yards on four targets, including a dropped would-be touchdown in the end zone, and 106 yards on four kickoff returns after lighting up the Bucs in the teams’ previous matchup this season.

What we learned about the Bucs:

1. All this losing is starting to take a toll on the Bucs emotionally, if it wasn’t already. Quarterback Josh McCown was sobbing in the locker room and on the way to his postgame press conference. He had to stop and compose himself before answering questions at the podium. Why? “One and eight. One and eight. And one and eight,” he said. The Bucs are, as McCown said, 1-8 on the year with no sign of anything turning around. Where does their next win come from? When do they start to see promise for the future? Even optimistic head coach Lovie Smith admitted his postgame press conferences were getting to be a broken record — he says they’re making progress and getting closer, but it never happens. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, a spokesman for the team if there ever was one, didn’t even have much to say after Sunday’s 27-17 loss. “Usually I know what to say, but at this point, guys, I don’t know. I don’t know anymore,” McCoy said. “I know we’re going to keep going, but I don’t have an answer for you. I really don’t. I’m sorry.”

2. Mike Evans is a star and a silver lining. There’s not a whole lot to like about the Bucs right now, obviously, but Evans is quickly developing into a phenomenal player. The rookie wideout finished Sunday with seven catches for 125 yards and a touchdown, making a few highlight-reel grabs as he showed off his astonishing athleticism. Evans has at least four catches in every game this season, and in the last two weeks he’s reeled in 14 for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Overall, the rookie has 585 receiving yards and five touchdowns in eight games, easily putting him on pace for a 1,000-yard season. Quarterback Josh McCown praised Evans for his improving professionalism and hard work, while Falcons coach Mike Smith lauded his raw ability. “He is a tough matchup,” Smith said. “He’s a very physical player, and he’s going to create a lot of matchup issues for lots of defenders.”

–QB Josh McCown took Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Falcons harder than anyone in the Bucs locker room, at least outwardly, but he played relatively well. Returning to the starting lineup for the first time since Sept. 18 due to a thumb injury, McCown went 27-for-43 for 301 yards and two touchdowns, though he did throw two interceptions within the game’s final two minutes. McCown spread around the ball, targeting seven different receivers, but it’s clear he recognizes the team’s best playmakers are receivers Vincent Jackson and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Jackson led the Bucs with 13 targets, while Evans and Seferian-Jenkins had nine each. However, all that mattered to McCown afterward was the loss — his fourth in four games as the starting QB — and the Bucs’ miserable 1-8 record.

–RB Charles Sims made his NFL debut in Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Falcons at Raymond James Stadium. He finished the game with eight carries for 23 yards and two receptions for 17 yards. He led the Bucs in carries but didn’t break off a run longer than six yards, finishing behind QB Josh McCown in total rushing yards, and he coughed up the Bucs’ only fumble. Tampa Bay’s running game has been a source of frustration all year, and there was some hope that Sims would get things going given the opportunity, which came about with RB Doug Martin inactive. But it was more of the same all around, as Sims managed only 40 yards on 10 touches and the rest of the running back corps was just as ineffective. Bobby Rainey, the starter with Martin out, provided even less as a runner but did manage 42 yards on four receptions.

–WR Mike Evans continued his excellent rookie season in Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Falcons, reeling in seven receptions for a career-high 125 yards and a touchdown. He ranks fifth in receiving yards by a Bucs rookie, with 585, and tied for third in receiving touchdowns by a Bucs rookie, with five. He is the first rookie in Bucs history to post consecutive 100-yard receiving games. He’s caught at least four passes in each of his first eight games played, the first Tampa Bay player with at least eight straight games with four or more receptions since Kellen Winslow in 2009-10.