Another promising match in the NFL is bound to put a smile on your face this coming Sunday, as the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers square off for their Week 13 showdown at Nissan Stadium. Expect a pretty intense game between two teams aiming to put themselves back on the winning track. But only one will emerge triumphant. Who’s it going to be?
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this NFC South showdown. And while you’re at it, check out our other Week 13 previews: Seattle at Minnesota and Panthers at Saints.
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Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
When: Sunday, December 6, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Atlanta Falcons (+2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2); total: 46.0 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
Betting on the Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
The losing woes continue for the Atlanta Falcons. They‘ve now lost five of their last six games and are currently on a four-game slide. The latest one came at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, as Adrian Peterson molested their defense.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Peterson, who was coming off a quiet outing in Week 11, bounced back big time at the expense of the Falcons. He rushed 29 times for 158 yards and two touchdowns while also catching 2-of-4 targets for 29 yards to lead his team to a 20-10 victory at the Georgia Dome.
Making things worse for the Falcons was the fact that quarterback Matt Ryan had another disappointing performance. He passed for 230 yards with a touchdown but had two picks under his belt, including one costly pick in the end zone. Ryan now has five interceptions over the last two games and will strive for redemption when they travel to Raymond James Stadium for a date with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In order to do so, they need to capitalize on their formidable air game (280.0 yards per game) that ranks fifth-best in the league today. That said, Ryan’s eyes are bound to keep searching for Julio Jones down field in this one.
Jones was limited to just 56 yards on five catches by the Vikings. Prior to that game though, he’d reached the 100-yard mark in his past three outings. That stretch includes their first encounter with the Bucs on November 1, during which Jones had his second-best performance of the season with 162 yards on 12 receptions and a score.
If things don’t work out on that end, the Falcons can always lean on Tevin Coleman on the ground. Coleman impressed in his first start since Week 2, rumbling for a season-high 110 yards on 18 carries despite the loss to Minnesota.
Atlanta is 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS on the road this year.
After a resounding 45-17 win versus the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn’t sustain that momentum last Sunday. They succumbed to the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 25-12, and have fallen to 5-6 on the season.
This defeat was really hard to swallow for the Bucs, who held a 12-6 advantage at the end for the first half. Things went downhill in the second half, though, as they were held scoreless and allowed Indy to score 19 points. Colts QB Matt Hasselbeck torched them in this game, throwing for 315 yards with two touchdowns and zero turnovers to lead his team.
The Bucs will have their work cut out for them again opposite the visiting Atlanta Falcons this Sunday. For them to pick up the much-needed win, the onus is on their defense that averages 338.8 total yards allowed per game, to step up and prevent the pair of WR Julio Jones and RB Tevin Coleman from finding their comfort zones.
As for the offense, Jameis Winston needs to come out with a much better effort this time around and he’ll have RB Doug Martin at his side to help him in doing so. Martin has been on a rampage recently, rumbling for 332 yards on 41 carries in his previous two outings.
Meanwhile, Winston will also look to Mike Evans to ignite their passing game. Evans caught five passes for 64 yards against Indy and has had four 100-yard outings already on the year.
Tampa Bay is 2-3 SU and ATS at Raymond James Stadium this season.
