Two of the coldest teams in the NFL are set to meet in Raymond James Stadium as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers welcome the Atlanta Falcons. Can the Bucs exact revenge after the 56-14 thrashing they received in Atlanta in Week 3?
It’s a full card of football ahead of us. Check out our complete picks and predictions for Week 10 of the 2014 NFL season. An interesting game also on deck is the showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints. Check out the preview for that game here.
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Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay
When: Sunday, November 9, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Atlanta Falcons (pk) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (pk); total 45.5 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Atlanta Falcons
In the midst of a five-game losing streak, the Atlanta Falcons had the benefit of a much-needed rest with their bye week ahead of their big game in Tampa. The Falcons are 4-0 after a bye since 2011.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Quarterback Matt Ryan had his best game of the season in Week 3 against the Bucs, going 21 for 24 for 286 yards and three touchdowns. He may be able to have another big game against Tampa Bay’s pass defense (allows 285.3 yards per game, 31st in the league). Ryan’s primary receiver, Julio Jones (team-high 83 targets), should help the quarterback make some big plays in this game. Jones hauled in a 40-yard scoring catch against Tampa Bay in Week 3, his only play of 30 yards or more this season.
Coming off their bye week, The Falcons may also have a couple of key players back against the Bucs. Explosive running back Antone Smith may return after suffering a neck stinger in the Falcons’ 22-21 loss to Detroit in London. Smith leads the team with five touchdowns (three receiving and two rushing), giving the Falcons a live scoring threat.
Atlanta will also have starting defensive lineman Jonathan Babineaux back to bolster their defense. Babineaux is efficient in generating pressure against opposing quarterbacks. Pressuring Tampa Bay’s Mike Glennon into making bad throws has proven to produce interceptions in the past, and if Glennon gets loose cornerback Robert Alford will be on the case. Alford has three picks and 10 passes broken up this season.
The Falcons are 7-3 in their last 10 games against Tampa Bay.
Betting on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 22-17 to the Cleveland Browns Sunday, after leading 17-16 heading into the fourth quarter. The Bucs have now lost four in a row by six points or less.
Quarterback Mike Glennon went 17 for 33 for 260 yards with a pair of touchdowns thrown to rookie receiver Mike Evans. The rookie wide receiver caught seven passes for 124 yards and the two scores for his best start this season. Evans should be able to make a couple of noteworthy plays when he takes on Atlanta’s pass defense, which has allowed 280.8 yards per game (30th in the league).
However, the Bucs had a terrible passing performance when they faced the Falcons in Week 3. They only managed to throw for 153 yards with then-starter Josh McCown.
McCown’s replacement, Glennon has been more effective for the Bucs, despite going 1-4 as a full time starter. Glennon is averaging 259.2 yards per game as a starter and has thrown at least a touchdown per game. However, he must cut down on the mistakes as he has thrown six interceptions in the same time span.
The Bucs may also benefit from a much better rushing performance. Leading running back Bobby Rainey ran for 87 yards on 19 carries against Cleveland, after he had failed to rush for over 50 yards since exploding for 144 in Week 2. Rainey should be able to find the gaps left by Atlanta’s front seven, which has looked vulnerable (allowed 130.2 yards per game) against the run during their five game losing streak.
On the other side of the ball, the Bucs will need to establish the pass rush if they want to avoid another blowout loss to the Falcons. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy leads the team in this regard with five sacks, three coming from his last two games. Establishing the pass rush could prove to be pivotal to limit Atlanta’s quarterback Matt Ryan.
The total has gone over in the Buccaneers’ last three meetings with the Falcons.
Writer’s Prediction
The Bucs take snap their five game losing streak. Create a betting account now and cash in on all of the best football action.
