Atlanta Falcons: 5 Players to Watch vs. Tampa Bay
By John Buhler
The Atlanta Falcons host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tomorrow for an NFC South showdown at 1 PM ET in the Georgia Dome.
Atlanta is coming off a close, but underwhelming win versus the Tennessee Titans up in Nashville, 10-7. The defense played great, but the offense sputtered due to penalties and inconsistencies on a drizzly Sunday afternoon last week.
Tampa Bay had their hearts broken in Week 7, blowing a 24-point lead to the Washington Redskins, losing on the final play, 31-30. Redskins QB Kirk Cousins went on a “You like that” rant and Tampa couldn’t have been more crushed allowing Washington to overcome their biggest deficit in franchise history.
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The 6-1 Atlanta Falcons have won games, but haven’t looked spectacular since eviscerating Houston at home in Week 4. The 2-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers have an improved offense under new OC Dirk Koetter (I miss Dirk), but Lovie Smith’s antiquated Tampa 2 defense isn’t getting it done down on the Gulf.
The Atlanta Falcons are a 7-point home favorite over the Bucs, but that seems a bit high given how ineffective the passing game has been for the Dirty Birds in October. Matt Ryan is playing arguably his worst stretch of football in his professional career. The funny part about it is that he isn’t terrible, he’s just off a tad. It’s a testament to how well he has played in his seven plus years under center for our team.
Though I like Atlanta in this game, I don’t expect a Week 3 home blow out of the Bucs like we saw last year. This game will definitely have a closer final score. Here are the five players on the Atlanta Falcons I like in Sunday’s divisional matchup.
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