Devonta Freeman pounded away all night until he finally found a way into the open field, helping the Atlanta Falcons remain in the thick of the tight NFC South race. With sidekick Tevin Coleman out with a concussion and Matt Ryan not particularly sharp throwing the ball , Freeman rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown to key a 24-21 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. The fourth-year pro scored on a 32-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, darting through a hole on the right side before cutting back to elude the only defender with a shot at tackling him and restore a 10-point lead for the Falcons (9-5), who barely hung on to win for the fifth time in six games. Freeman also caught five passes for a team-high 68 yards and had a first-half fumble recovered in the end zone by teammate Levine Toilolo for a touchdown. Ryan threw an early TD pass to Justin Hardy and finished 17 of 31 passing for 212 yards and no interceptions. The victory kept Atlanta within one game of New Orleans and Carolina in the division standings with two to play. If the playoffs started now, the Falcons would be the second NFC wild-card.