Atlanta Falcons: Top 5 Rivalries Entering 2015
By John Buhler
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The Atlanta Falcons’ divisional rivalry with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is a perfect example of how the most recent version of realignment has accelerated formerly non-existent rivalries. Atlanta played in the NFC West while Tampa was in the NFC Central. The Buccaneers had rivalries with teams like the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions before the NFC South’s formation.
But since 2002 I’ve seen the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play some highly competitive, passionate games. Experiencing the John Gruden Era as a divisional foe was not fun at all for Atlanta Falcons fans. Chucky routinely gave the Dirty Birds a whooping thanks to the famous Tampa 2 Defense.
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Players like Warren Sapp antagonized our players in every matchup. Sapp alone might account for most of my dislike for the Bucs. But now that he has retired and Tampa has fallen on hard times since firing Gruden after the 2007 Season (what was the Glazer Family thinking?), the animosity I once felt for the Buccaneers isn’t there anymore.
That doesn’t mean that these two teams like each other or anything like that. At least once every four games, both teams will concoct a game plan so strong that the other team does not stand a chance. While the Atlanta Falcons’ clobbered the Bucs in Week 3 last season 56-14 thanks to the Devin Hester show, Tampa’s Bobby Rainey destroyed the 2013 Atlanta Falcons down in Raymond James Stadium.
Now with Jameis Winston under center, learning from our former OC Dirk Koetter, expect things to heat up in this biennial rivalry. Though it sits as the Atlanta Falcons’ 4th best rivalry at the moment, I see the Atlanta-Tampa Bay games becoming more hostile now that the Bucs have their franchise quarterback.
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