Falcons vs. Buccaneers: NFL Week 2 betting odds, preview, and pick
Rob Gronkowski (87) of the Buccaneers scores a touchdown and then spikes the ball in the end zone. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire)
September 16th, 2021
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in an NFC South clash of two teams coming off very different results in Week 1.
Let's examine this matchup, beginning with the latest betting odds.
Atlanta's defense needs immediate improvement
The Falcons' defense was in the bottom half of the league last season, and that trend looks set to continue in 2021. Atlanta currently ranks 27th in total yards, 24th in points allowed, and 31st in rushing yards allowed.
Last year, in their two games with the Bucs, the Falcons allowed 37.5 points per game and 450.5 total yards per game. With only one sack and two quarterback hits against the Philadelphia Eagles last week, they will need to find ways to pressure Tom Brady to stay alive in this game.
Bucs are picking up where they left off
It is extremely rare for a team to win the Super Bowl and then return most of their starters. The Buccaneers took that one step further by returning all 22 starters from their title run.
In Week 1, Tampa Bay looked like a team in sync on offense as the Bucs generated 379 yards passing and four touchdowns. Those yards and touchdowns were well spread out amongst Brady's targets with Antonio Brown going for 121 yards and a touchdown, Chris Godwin going for 105 yards and a touchdown, and Rob Gronkowski going for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
GRONK SCORE‼️ GRONK SPIKE‼️ PART 2 #GoBucs
— TwinSpires Sportsbook 💵 (@TS_Sportsbook) September 10, 2021
Gronkowski 2+ TDs (+1700) 💵pic.twitter.com/SFBAykYhOM
The issues came from the lack of running game and turnovers. The Buccaneers only managed 52 yards rushing on 14 attempts, and had four total turnovers. This caused them to have some defensive woes as well, as they lost time of possession by almost 10 minutes and allowed over 450 yards and 29 points.
Falcons vs. Buccaneers Injury Report
| Atlanta Falcons | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
|---|
OT Matt Gono: Out (undisclosed) | CB Sean Murphy-Bunting: Out (shoulder) |
C Josh Andrews: Out (hand) | LS Zach Triner: Out (finger) |
CB Kendall Sheffield: Out (undisclosed) | LB Jason Pierre-Paul: Questionable (undisclosed) |
Falcons and Buccaneers Betting Trends
- The Falcons are 1-5 ATS in their last six games in September
- The home team is 6-2 ATS in their last eight meetings
- The Over is 6-0 in the last six meetings
- The Buccaneers are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following an ATS loss
- The Over is 6-0 in the Buccaneers' last six home games vs. a team with a losing road record
This is set up for a blowout
The Falcons looked rough on both offense and defense in Week 1. The Bucs looked amazing on offense even though they struggled on defense. Unless the Falcons drastically change their play from last week, they will get destroyed in this spot.
The Bucs have the talent on the front seven to pressure Matt Ryan the same way the Eagles did last week. They also will shut down what little running game the Falcons have. On offense, the Bucs will clean up their turnovers and move the ball at will.
Seeing the success that the Eagles had in the ground game against the Falcons, I believe we will see Tampa Bay try to get their run game going with a combination of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones.
Score prediction: Buccaneers 42, Falcons 17
NFL Week 2 picks: Buccaneers -12.5, Over 52
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