Week 7
Tampa Bay might not split with all of the NFC South teams, but it will be interesting to see how the matchups with Atlanta go this year. Like the Saints, the Falcons are improved and looking to take a step forward now that the power balance has been upset in the South.
One problem for Atlanta is they still don’t have a quarterback. Desmond Ridder is technically their starter, but they’ve invested a lot of faith in a guy who hasn’t really proven he can be the franchise quarterback the Falcons can build a Super Bowl contender around.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t offensive fire power in Atlanta. Kyle Pitts had a down year and is looking to bounce back, and Drake London looked like the real deal last season. The team also added rookie Bijan Robinson, which means if things go well for the Falcons they’re going to put up serious points this year.
Buccaneers record: 2-4
Week 8
Crazy things happen each year, especially on Thursday Nights, and that’s the best hope the Bucs have of flying out of Buffalo with a win this year.
The last time these two teams met we witnessed an overtime epic. Tom Brady bested the young Josh Allen but in retrospect, it was almost a changing of the guard moment. Sure, Brady got the upper hand but since then Allen has been on an MVP-level ascension as one of the top quarterbacks in the league, while the Bucs went the exact opposite direction the following year.
Oh, how things have changed.
It’s a midseason game in Buffalo this time around, and one of a few primetime games the Buccaneers will have. Without Brady the Bucs best bet to securing primetime slots was to be the opponent of a team networks wanted to tout, and this matchup might have been on of the only ways Amazon was going to book the Bills. This will be a true test for Tampa Bay, but it could end up being a trap game for Buffalo. The Bucs will come in with absolutely nobody expecting them to win the game (just picture the blanket Bills picks in the pregame show) which means they’re playing with house money.
If things go south, then they’ll get walloped by a Super Bowl contender. However, if they give the Bills a scare it could go a long way in building some serious confidence for a team that isn’t as bad as some of the experts seem to think.
Buccaneers record: 2-5