The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will soon kickoff against the Atlanta Falcon's for their Week 1 showdown. With a win, Tampa Bay can take a commanding lead in the NFC South. Here are four Falcons' Weaknesses that Tampa Bay needs to exploit in order to secure victory.
1. Michael Penix is inexperienced
Perhaps the biggest weakness for the Falcons is their young quarterback. Penix was a first-round pick, and will likely improve as he gains experience. But with just three starts under his belt, he probably will not enter Week 1 looking like a polished NFL passer.
Tampa Bay should take advantage of Penix's inexperience by bringing the pressure. If the Buccaneers can effectively rush Penix, they can throw him off his game and seize control early.
2. Kyle Pitts
Pitts, at this point, has still yet to break out. The former first-round pick was supposed to be the next Travis Kelce, but so far, he's been the next Jonnu Smith.
Tampa Bay would be wise to try to force the ball in Pitts direction. Take away the outside targets in Drake London and Darnell Mooney, and force Penix to throw to Pitts. It is never a bad idea to force your weakest opponent beat you.
3. The secondary allows completions
In 2024, Atlanta allowed a league-high 69.9% completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks. They also allowed opposing passers to throw for a 100.1 passer rating, the fourth highest mark in the league. Atlanta allowed an average of 23.7 completions per game.
If this year's Atlanta defense is anything like last year's, Tampa Bay should take advantage of everything the Falcons are giving them. Last year, opposing QB's feasted on the short game, averaging 6.9 yards-per-attempt. If Baker Mayfield can dink and dunk with Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, and Cade Otton, the Falcons might not have an answer.
4. Jamal Agnew is rusty at kick return
Jamal Agnew has been a solid kick returner in previous seasons, but he did not play in 2024 and might be rusty. His 2023 season saw him finish with 391 return yards on kickoffs and 144 return yards on punts. That was a step back from his peak in 2020-22, when he averaged 618 kick return yards and 152 punt return yards.
Tampa Bay should avoid kicking the ball into the endzone and giving the Falcons touchbacks. Force their old, rusty kick returner to prove himself before giving them any free yards, especially with touchbacks now starting on the 35 yard line.