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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by future Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady, are hoping for a rewarding and extensive postseason run, and will look to fine tune their execution against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. This will be the second time in three weeks these teams will face off, with the Bucs winning Week 15’s contest.
To their credit, the Falcons had one of the most difficult matchups of Week 16 and hung in with the high powered Kansas City Chiefs last weekend. Without much of a running game to speak of, and missing top WR Julio Jones again due to a lingering hamstring injury, Atlanta only lost 17-14, and played much better defense than most fans would have expected. Falcons LB Foyesade Oluokun had a clutch interception off Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes while Kansas City was in the red zone, to keep Atlanta in the game.
Tampa Bay’s last game was much less stressful, as they waxed the Detroit Lions 47-7 at Ford Field. It was pretty much over in the first half, as WR Mike Evans put on a clinic against the Lions secondary. He registered 181 yards on 10 catches, including two touchdowns, to put the game away early and give the Bucs veterans some rest in the second half.
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers TV Schedule
What Time is The Falcons at Buccaneers on Sunday?
1:00 p.m EST on Sunday, January 3rd.
What Channel Is The Falcons at Buccaneers game on Sunday?
FOX
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coverage Map
How To Watch Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians’ first thought might be to give some of his most important players a bunch of rest in Week 17, since they can’t do anything to secure a home playoff game on Wild Card Weekend. But considering how much junk time the Bucs just had against the Lions, it would make sense for them to play most of the game like it meant something, just so that they wouldn’t be too rusty heading into the postseason.
To that end, expect most of the Bucs starters to play into the third quarter, before guys start being summoned to the bench. This should be enough time for Tampa Bay to establish control of the game, and to record a season sweep of Atlanta.
Prediction: Bucs 26, Falcons 24
