Buccaneers (8-3) at Falcons (5-6)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, MercedesBenz Stadium, Atlanta
TV: Fox
Tipico Sportsbook line: Buccaneers by 10 1 ⁄2
Buccaneers’ keys to victory: Stopping Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson should be Tampa Bay’s main concern. Atlanta went on a two-game touchdown drought once Patterson got injured. Upon his return in Week 12, he rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns. The Buccaneers have the weapons to light up the Falcons’ defensive backs, so QB Tom Brady should look to push the ball downfield. Atlanta’s defense has a bend-butdon’t-break mentality, but if the Bucs get off to a fast start, the Falcons don’t have the weapons to catch up.
Falcons’ keys to victory: Atlanta needs to take care of the football better than when these teams met in Week 2. QB Matt Ryan threw two fourth-quarter interceptions that killed the Falcons’ chances of pulling off the upset. Over the last two weeks, Atlanta has thrown five interceptions with three different quarterbacks. Defensively, the Falcons need to be creative against Brady by mixing up their coverages and blitzes. If the offense can convert on third down, it will keep the defense fresh enough and help avoid any kind of late-game collapse.
Matchup to watch: Buccaneers’ defense vs. Falcons’ Patterson. While the Falcons have talented rookie TE Kyle Pitts, Patterson has been the heartbeat of the team since Week 1. Tampa Bay’s defensive line was unblockable against Atlanta in Week 2. Expect the team to get the ball into Patterson’s hands in space as much as possible.
Who wins? Tampa Bay is simply better on both sides of the ball.
Buccaneers, 31-29