Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Odds, Picks and Prediction
Falcons vs. Buccaneers Odds
| Falcons Odds | +12 |
| Buccaneers Odds | -12 |
| Over/Under | 51.5 |
| Date | Sunday, Sept. 19 |
| Time | 4:05 p.m. |
| TV | FOX |
The Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will duel in Week 2 of the young NFL season on Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium. Oddsmakers are expecting a comfortable victory for the home favorites, pricing Tampa Bay as nearly a two touchdown favorite on the spread.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup to see where bettors can find value at sportsbooks in this contest.
Atlanta Falcons +12 (-110)
In Week 1, the Atlanta Falcons were embarrassed at home by a final score of 32-6 against a Philadelphia Eagles team that few people expect to win more than a handful of games this fall. Quarterback Matt Ryan avoided turning the ball over, but that was about all that he did well last Sunday, throwing for only 164 yards and zero touchdowns. Mike Davis led the rushing attack with 15 carries, but he only totaled an inefficient 49 yards. Atlanta’s new emphasis on play-action passes yielded few positive results in its first regular season test. Perhaps most alarming, the offensive line for the Falcons allowed a 41 percent pressure rate, per Pro Football Focus. It is hard to generate much offense without time for plays to develop down field—especially if emphasizing slower-to-develop play action plays.
Atlanta’s pass rush was non-existent against the Philadelphia Eagles. Jalen Hurts was afforded plenty of time to throw the football, which resulted in an MVP-like stat line with 264 yards passing and three touchdowns. The Falcons allowed 173 yards on the ground as well—the second-most of any team in football last week. Only the Chiefs allowed a higher yards-per-carry. After surrendering 32 points to a relatively-weak Philadelphia offense, it could be painful to watch Atlanta’s defense try to stop Tom Brady, Antonio Brown, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski in Week 2.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -12 (-110)
At 44 years old, Brady continues to dominate NFL football games. In Week 1, Brady recorded the best Pro Football Focus grade of any of the 35 quarterbacks that saw the field in their team’s season opener. Brady bailed out a poor showing from the Tampa Bay defense with a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter in the Buccaneers’ victory against the Cowboys to open the year. He was masterful on the evening—throwing for four touchdowns and 379 yards. The final line score might suggest that Brady was careless with the football, but neither of his two interceptions were his fault. The first was a screen pass that Leonard Fournette mishandled and batted in the air to be snagged by the defense. The other pick was a hail mary attempt to end the first half. Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette left much to be desired in the run game against Dallas, but both of them could be in for a better performance in a favorable matchup against a very weak Falcons front-seven in Week 2.
Tampa Bay’s vaunted defensive front was mostly a non-factor in Week 1. To the Cowboys’ credit, they executed well on a variety of short, quick pass plays, which did not give Shaquil Barrett, Vita Vea, Ndamukong Suh, and Jason Pierre-Paul much time to get after the quarterback. However, if Atlanta stays committed to slow-developing play action plays in Week 2, the big men up front for the Buccaneers could feast early and often. Cornerback Carlton Davis was sensational for Tampa Bay in their season opener and is likely to have another strong performance against the Falcons. Other than Calvin Ridley, there is not much talent to worry about at wide receiver. Lavonte David and Devin White look poised to be one of the best linebacker tandems in football in 2021. Atlanta could be in for another miserable day on Sunday.
Falcons vs. Buccaneers Picks
It is not the most comfortable thing in the world to wager on a team to cover a large spread. For one, there is the psychological difficulty of starting the game down 12.5 points on your wager. There is also the fact that teams do not play to cover the spread. Big favorites are always susceptible to crushing losses against the spread due to meaningless garbage time scores.
However, it is hard to imagine that the Buccaneers do not cover 12.5 points on Sunday. Atlanta lost by 26 points at home to what is likely to be one of the worst teams in football. The Falcons now have to travel to play the defending Super Bowl champions on the road—and by the way, Tampa Bay had an extra three days to prepare for this contest after playing on Thursday night in Week 1. The Buccaneers could deliver a sizable victory in this matchup.
PICK: Buccaneers (-12)
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