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The New Orleans Saints looked unbeatable through the first two weeks of the 2024 NFL season, but it is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons who have emerged as the leaders in the NFC South. Now, the two teams will face each other during Thursday Night Football. Here is how you can watch the game.
When and where is the Buccaneers vs. Falcons game?
Week 5 Thursday Night Football action is on Oct. 3, and kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. ET. The Falcons are hosting the game, so the venue is at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
How to watch Thursday Night Football
The game will not be on cable television. Instead, as is the case with every Thursday Night Football game, you will need to stream it with Amazon Prime Video. Al Michaels will call the game, and Kirk Herbstreit will provide the color commentary. The sideline reporter will be Kaylee Hartung.
Date: Thursday, Oct. 3 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia
TV channel: N/A | Live stream: Prime Video
Odds: Falcons -126 | O/U 43.5
Buccaneers storylines
Tom Brady recently reported that he nearly signed with the Chicago Bears rather than the Buccaneers back in 2020. Had that happened, there would certainly be a lot of question marks surrounding who would be quarterbacking the team. There were also a lot of questions about that after Brady retired, though, but Baker Mayfield has stepped up and cemented himself as a franchise quarterback.
The former first-overall pick who didn't work out with the Cleveland Browns had tons of success in Tampa Bay last year, and he has only gotten better this year. Mayfield's 984 yards rank sixth in the NFL, and his eight passing touchdowns are the second most. The Oklahoma product has even completed over 70 percent of his passes in the process.
Mayfield has an impressive receiving corps to throw to, as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are still one of the best duos in the league. Tampa Bay needs more balance, though. The Buccaneers have only ran for 384 yards. Rachaad White has been incredibly inefficient, only running for 2.8 yards per carry.
White's struggles have led rookie Bucky Irving to get more touches, and he has impressed when given an opportunity. In a short week, the Buccaneers might rely on the run more than in the past, and if they do, then it is possible that Irving has a breakout game.
Falcons storylines
The Falcons typically don't have to worry about their running back situation, as Bijan Robinson is one of the best ball carriers in the NFL. The halfback is currently dealing with a hamstring injury that has limited him at practice this week, though, and he is in danger of missing Week 5, especially because this is a short week for the Falcons.
Luckily, the team has invested heavily into the passing game. Receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts are both recent first-round picks, and they receive passes from Kirk Cousins. The quarterback was one of the biggest free agent acquisitions in franchise history, and he has proven he is fully recovered from the torn Achilles he suffered last season.
Atlanta has brought in plenty of talent on defense, too. Justin Simmons and Matthew Judon were huge gets in the offseason, and they've brought an influx of talent to the Falcons' defense.
The NFC South is closely contested between the Falcons, Buccaneers, and Saints, and it might be even closer now that Andy Dalton has taken over for Bryce Young as the Carolina Panthers quarterback. That makes divisional matchups of all the importance. Atlanta won a thriller over New Orleans last week, and now the Buccaneers are playing their first division rivalry game of the season.
