The Atlanta Falcons return home on Sunday to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a Week 14 showdown with first place on the line in the NFC South.
The Falcons are coming off a two-game winning streak after their ugly win over an offensively inept New York Jets team last week. That's the first time Atlanta has won back-to-back games since the first two games this season. With last week's win, the Falcons also got back to .500 (6-6), which details how awful the NFC South has been this season.
From here on out, every game matters for the Falcons, who could very likely be flip-flopping first place week-to-week with the Buccaneers (5-7) or the New Orleans Saints (5-7) until season's end. A win, however, would give them a sweep and a tiebreaker over the Buccaneers.
The last time these two met back in late October, the Falcons pulled off a late field goal in the end to best the Buccaneers on their home turf. This time, Tampa Bay makes their way into A-Town, with a score to settle and a potential division to retrieve.
Let's get into some Falcons bold predictions for Week 14 versus the Buccaneers.
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Falcons barely rush for 120 yards
It's doubtful that the Falcons have another week offensively like they had last week against a tough Jets defense. However, Todd Bowles still has a defense that goes against the Falcons' strength as an offense, that being running the ball. Tampa Bay has the 10th overall rushing defense in the league, giving up just under 100 yards per game and nine rushing touchdowns. The Falcons only accounted for 90 last week but did earn 156 last time they faced the Buccaneers. It could be a tough day on the ground for Atlanta, who will be looking to Bijan Robinson to make some plays.
Don't expect a high-scoring game between Falcons and Buccaneers
Last time these two faced, they combined for 29 points. No wonder both are in the top-10 in scoring defenses (Falcons 7th, Buccaneers 10th). But not only do these teams not let their opponents score, their offenses are nothing to brag about, ranking right next to each other in scoring offense, with the Buccaneers one spot ahead of the Falcons at 23rd.
The over/under for the Week 14 game is currently 39.5, according to FanDuel. If I were a betting man, I'd probably take the under.
Desmond Ridder continues to prove Falcons must find a new quarterback by next season
It's difficult to fault Desmond Ridder too much for last week's game against the Jets since he was responsible for the only touchdown of the game, which made the difference in the end. Not many have fared great against New York's defense this season. Nevertheless, the problems offensively are still glaringly obvious with the Falcons, who too often find themselves sputtering and failing to move the ball down the field successfully.
Typically, drives have stalled because Ridder has turned the ball over, setting head coach Arthur Smith into a frenzy. That's what happened in the last contest with the Buccaneers when the former Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback fumbled the ball three times. Yet, last week, he was mistake-free, surprisingly. But he also only completed 12-of-27 passes for a horrendous 44.4% completion percentage. Don't be surprised to see the offense sputter again, and Ridder making at least two turnovers.
Falcons win again on a late Younghoe Koo field goal
Again, much how the last game between these two went, this game will likely see a lot of kicking in it, whether that's punting or field goals. If you've watched the Falcons at all this season, you know how vital kicker Younghoe Koo has been to this team, who is often the one that's able to put points on the board when the offense can't find the end zone after getting into opponents' territory.
Koo is clutch, missing only one field goal this season, going 24-for-25. He'll help the Falcons get back to a winning record for the first time since Oct. 22 when they were 4-3.
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