By james art The last time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons met, the Bucs lost in heartbreaking fashion as they had the game all but sealed before a mismatch that ended up giving the Falcons the ball back with enough time to win on a touchdown drive. The Falcons doubled their offensive production on the day, and the Bucs offense wasn’t exactly what we were used to.
Things are different now and both teams are a little wobbly in terms of injuries. The Falcons are currently atop the NFC South standings, but with a win on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can take control of the division with a few tough games to come before their bye week.
The Buccaneers are playing this game for Chris Godwin, who was lost for the season last week with a sprained ankle, and will celebrate their history as they break out the cream uniforms on Sunday afternoon. Here’s how our staff here at BucsGameday sees the matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons.
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This game lost a bit of its luster as the Buccaneers lost two of their best offensive players in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, but it’s still pretty much one of those must-win games as Atlanta currently leads the NFC South. With a win, the Bucs can reclaim that crown, but they’ll have to do so with a huge number of important contributors.
Atlanta is also dealing with its own injuries and won’t be at full strength in this case with many of those injuries on the defensive side of the ball, making an already below average maybe worse.
I originally picked the Falcons to come with this game on the Hear the Cannons podcast, but the development on the Atlanta front, combined with the reminder that this Bucs team welcomes adversity and is a resilient bunch, makes me want to take the Buccaneers home on the day of the cream.
2024 Season Projection Record: 2-4
Pirates 24, Falcons 21
I really have no business picking Tampa Bay here and my record is bad enough – the Bucks are losing two offensive playmakers and have a struggling defense that seems to be getting worse every week. It’s all coming, Falcons, but I guess in conjunction with the fact that the Bucs know this is a do-or-die game for Tampa Bay, it makes me a little too cocky. The Bucs find a way to attack with an unpredictable game plan and keep their NFC South hopes alive — for now.
2024 Season Projection Record: 2-4
Pirates 23, Falcons 21
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There’s no sugarcoating it – losing Chris Godwin and Mike Evans hurts. Especially against a team like the Falcons, who have shown they can move the ball down the field. The last time these two met, Atlanta won in overtime by a touchdown, scoring 36 points.
What the Bucs can’t do is let this turn into a shootout. Controlling the clock will be key and establishing the game early will be key. Stepping into bigger roles, Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer and Sterling Shepherd must answer the call when targeted in the passing game. Cade Otton will also need to play a bigger role this week, as will the pass-catching running backs.
The Falcons are currently the third-worst team in third-down conversion rate, allowing teams to consistently convert on first downs. Getting you on third down and driving will be critical for the Bucs to extend drives. Defensively, the box desperately needs to control the midfield, something they didn’t do the last time these two teams played. If they can do that and annoy Kirk Cousins early by forcing turnovers (he threw seven interceptions and had seven other turnover-worthy plays this year, according to PFF), they have a good chance to pull off the upset and win at home on the cream.
2024 Season Projection Record: 3-3
Pirates 20, Falcons 17
After a very successful start to the 2024-25 NFL season, everything came crashing down for the Bucs on Monday night against the Ravens. Not only did the Bucks lose the game, but they also lost their two best offensive players, with Chris Godwin suffering a season-ending loss.
With Todd Bowles’ defense struggling mightily the last three weeks, I don’t think the offense has enough firepower to slow down without Godwin and Evans in the lineup.
2024 Season Projection Record: 3-3
Falcons 27, Buccaneers 21
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Tampa Bay’s injuries will be too much for their offense to overcome when they face the Falcons again. The two teams played a fun game in their first game and this should be another close game that Atlanta wins late.
2024 Season Projection Record: 3-2 *turns off Ravens game*
Falcons 31, Buccaneers 23
Injuries have been a problem all year, but the two biggest ones suffered by receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have been too much. I want to go for the “against all odds” possibility of this “revenge” game for Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers, but I just don’t see it happening.
Record for 2024 season predictions: 4-2
Falcons 27, Buccaneers 17
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reeling from the loss, which also saw them lose Chris Godwin to a season-ending injury and Mike Evans for an extended period of time. The year is quickly turning in the wrong direction for the three-time NFC South champions.
That’s why Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons could be the Buccaneers’ most important game of the season. The stakes are even higher when you consider that Tampa Bay fell short in Atlanta a few weeks ago. Baker Mayfield and his team really need to win this game.
Unfortunately, I think injuries on offense and a struggling defense will make a win difficult to come by. I had the Falcons pulling this one off at Raymond James Stadium.
2024 Season Projection Record: 3-3
Falcons 24, Buccaneers 20
CONSENSUS: Atlanta Falcons (4-3)
**All entries exclude Saints game due to Hurricane Milton**
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