My ultimate suggestion to the Buccaneers is don’t do what happened last time.
Both these coaches are basically dead men walking, however, they both think they can save their job with a division title. Even though that title actually says “King of the Garbage”. Regardless, this game is of the utmost importance. The Bucs need to catch up in the division and a win here gives them a 52% chance at the playoffs. With the NFC’s 7th seed being clogged with a myriad of at or slightly below .500 teams, this division is the Bucs best shot at a playoff run.
Last time these two teams met, it was an exercise in attempting to score. Both teams failed. Falcons won by the mighty score of 16. However, Tampa’s offense has been making strides in recent games. This will likely be another low-scoring, gritty affair, so this team needs to cash in on the red zone. There likely won’t be too many opportunities. As weird as it is to say, the Falcons defense is what will determine victory. They have one of the best red zone defenses in the NFL, but the Buccaneers will need to overcome it to score points. The ground game especially needs to get going since they have a secondary that’s pretty decent. It will be tough, but this offense needs to have a good game.
On the other side, there’s a Desmond Ridder. A QB who treats the football like its candy at a parade. Just giving it away at will. Antoine Winfield needs to prove that he is better than Jessie Bates and force some turnovers from Ridder like last time. Preferably not right at the goal line though so I don’t have a heart attack. The good news is that the Bucs are getting some reinforcements back as Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis are active. Unfortunately, the Bucs may be without Vita Vea. Devin White will also be out with injury, so that’s a huge blow to the Falcons as they likely anticipated White missing 50 tackles.
While Ridder is not the biggest threat, the run defense will need to be sharp. Arthur Smith has finally learned that Bijan Robinson is on his team and is good at football. A crushing revelation in the NFC South. They cannot allow Robinson to gain any kind of traction or the Buccaneers will not win. Also, if they could stop Tyler Allegier and a WR who cosplays as a RB, that would be wonderful.
I think the Bucs are a better team on offense since the last time these teams met, but I am worried about the defense. My prediction for this game is that whoever gets more TDs in the red zone will be the victor. I know that sounds dumb, but both offenses have struggled mightily inside the 20. If the Bucs can finally get touchdowns in that area, they should be able to pull off the win and take the lead in the division.
Make sure you check out Devin’s blog at cannoncrunch.wordpress.com.
Cannon Crunch with Devin Sanguinett
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