BUCS ARE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH JONES
Three weeks ago when the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers first clashed, Falcons receiver Julio Jones had one of his monster days, with 12 catches for 253 yards in a 34-20 Atlanta win.
The Buccaneers’ t op cornerback, Vernon Hargreaves III, already had suffered the nasty hamstring pull that has sidelined him since early November.
When the teams meet Monday night in Tampa, Fla., the beaten-up Bucs defence not only won’t have Hargreaves, but will also be without defensive lineman Gerald McCoy, out with a biceps injury, and linebacker Lavonte David, sidelined by a hamstring issue.
The Bucs defence doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel from week to week schematically, but the Falcons said they’re planning for something different from the last time Jones chewed up the Bucs’ secondary.
“Julio did have some big numbers against them last time we played them,” said Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, who completed 26-of-35 for 317 yards without an interception in the first meeting, Nov. 26. “But maybe there’s some cloud coverage or double- team for him (this time).”
Atlanta offensive co- ordinator Steve Sarkisian said his challenge each week is to tweak his play- calling to keep the perennial Pro Bowler Jones from becoming a mere decoy.
“The key is to find ways to keep him not just involved in the offence, but the focal point.” Sarkisian said.
Jones ranked f ourth in the league in receiving yards (with 1,161) and was tied for 11th in catches (with 73) heading into Sunday’s games. Oddly, Jones has only three TD catches this season, his lowest total since 2013.
While the Falcons are focusing on a playoff run, Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston is trying to reconcile the chatter about the team taking a step backward this year.
“You win,” said the young quarterback, who has been dogged by lingering questions about his relationship with head coach Dirk Koetter and what’s gone wrong in a season that will end with the 4- 9 Bucs missing the playoffs again.
“Winning takes all of us coming together as a team, and just applying it on the field and going out there and executing to get a win.”
The Bucs close the seas on with t hree games against NFC South rivals chasing playoff berths. Finishing strong not only would impact a tight division race, but also send a message.
“It’s not over yet,” Winston said. “Everyone else can look at the win-loss column. As a team, we have to come together and keep playing.”