TAMPA, Fla. -- Josh McCown is 35 and the senior member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Logic would suggest that he is hardened to the ups and downs of life in the National Football League.

Logic would be very wrong.

McCown was seen sobbing in the Buccaneers' locker room after Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo was trying to comfort McCown, but not succeeding.

This is what Tampa Bay's season has become: It's enough to bring a grown man to tears. McCown took a few moments to compose himself before heading to another room to meet with the media.

Not much changed. McCown still looked on the verge of tears as he began fielding questions. By the end of the session, he was getting philosophical. That's what happens when a team is 1-8.

"One and eight. One and eight," McCown said when asked why he was so emotional. "You want to give your teammates and your coaches and your fans and your family and everybody here better than that. It just hurts."

The game could have been a joyous occasion. It marked McCown's return after missing five games with an injury to his right thumb. He replaced second-year quarterback Mike Glennon, who wouldn't have fared any better against the Falcons.

"I thought Josh gave us a spark," coach Lovie Smith said.

There's no question about that. The Bucs, who have been notorious for slow starts, scored 10 first-half points for only the second time this season. The offense, minus the running game, looked in better rhythm than it has all season.

But for the third straight week, the Bucs squandered a fourth-quarter lead. They led 17-16 with 14:18 remaining when McCown hit rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins with a 1-yard touchdown pass.

But it was McCown who ended up in tears and blaming himself for the loss.

"You realize the fans," McCown said, "they come to the game. Whatever's going on in their life, they want to come be in this stadium to watch us win football games and bring them joy. To not be able to give that to ourselves, our teammates, our coaches, our fans, it just hurts."

This loss shouldn't fall on McCown's shoulders. Things started to fall apart as soon as Seferian-Jenkins caught the touchdown. He stood on the ball as part of his celebration and drew a 15-yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff. That gave Atlanta good field position, and Tampa Bay's defense allowed a touchdown drive. Then the defense, which was supposed to be the strength of the team, allowed a field goal.

McCown threw two interceptions as the Bucs tried to catch up, but he finished the day with respectable numbers, completing 27 of 43 passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns and those two interceptions.

Toward the end of his media session, McCown grew philosophical about adversity.

"We're in the thick of it," he said. "It gives you perspective. It gives you an opportunity to stretch your faith, whatever you believe in, to stretch yourself, your gut as a man and your resolve. At the end of the day, you have to be able to respond. It hurts, but we'll all grow and be better from it. But at the end of the day, nobody wants to go through this or grow this way. We knew adversity would come, but to this extent, nobody wants that.

"You stand in moments like this in your life where things don't go the way you said you wanted them to go. That's the reality of where we are. You have two choices. You can curl up in a ball and hide and hope that it goes away and it's over. Or you can do something about it and you can stand in the face of it. I believe the men we have in our locker room and the leadership that we have, and it starts with Lovie, will do that."