Tampa Bay opened 2022 with a tough four weeks, visiting Dallas and New Orleans and returning home to face Green Bay and Kansas City. The Buccaneers’ offense did not really hit full stride against the second half against the Chiefs, but things were too far out of hand from the first half for the Bucs to be able to catch up against Patrick Mahomes. On the other hand, the defense showed some weariness against the Chiefs, giving up 41 points. After that difficult swing, things get a bit easier, starting with a visit from the Falcons. Somehow, Atlanta is 2-2 – and could easily be 4-0. They gave up a backbreaking comeback to the Saints at home in Week 1 and almost knocked off the Rams in Week 2, falling by just four points on the road. Then they went to Seattle and won before returning home to edge Cleveland. The total point differential from these first four games is Atlanta +2. The point spread this week is 10 – can the Buccaneers cover? Don’t miss our NFL betting preview.
NFL Preview: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(Sunday, October 9)
When: Sunday, October 9, 2022, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
TV: FOX
Radio: WZGC 92.9 FM Atlanta / WXTB 97.9 FM Tampa
Live Stream: Sling TV
NFL Odds: Tampa Bay -10 / O/U 46.5 // Tampa Bay -480 / Atlanta +360
Why should you bet on the Falcons?
Looking closer at the numbers, Atlanta is a perfect 4-0 against the spread this season. The Falcons were six-point home underdogs in their opener and lost by one, and they were 10 ½ point underdogs on the road against the Rams. However, the time that Marcus Mariota has running the offense may be coming to an end, as the team may want to see what rookie Desmond Ridder can do for them. Mariota and the Falcons did beat Cleveland last week, but Mariota was just 7 of 19 for 139 yards and a score, and he has four interceptions in four games.
Tailback Cordarrelle Patterson ranks fourth in the NFL through four games, with 340 rushing yards, and he is averaging 5.9 yards per carry. However, he will miss Sunday’s game (knee), and rookie Tyler Allgeier out of BYU will get the bulk of the carries. He ran the ball well against Cleveland last week, needing just 10 carries to get 84 yards. Caleb Huntley (10 carries, 56 yards against the Browns) will also get some times. The defense ranks 25th overall in yardage permitted (386.3), with the run defense ranked 21st and the pass defense ranked 25th.
Why should you put your money on the Buccaneers?
Did you know that the last time Tom Brady suffered three losses in a row, the year was 2002? It’s true that Brady has seen his personal life take a downward turn in recent weeks – and has seen that downward turn get public play in the media. Usually, when adversity comes, Brady stacks a chip on his shoulder and dominates on the field. Brady threw for 385 yards and three scores in the loss to Kansas City, and Mike Evans caught two of those touchdown passes, gaining 103 yards on eight receptions. The running game was unproductive, as the Bucs ran the ball six times…for just three yards. The Chiefs were able to gouge the normally ironclad Tampa Bay run defense for 5.1 yards per carry (189 yards total). On the season, the run defense has permitted 106.8 yards per game, 12th overall.
One reason behind the slight offensive improvement, at least in the passing game, is that several key players in the receiving group are back from injury, such as Chris Godwin. If you like Tampa Bay, you see the offense continuing to click against Atlanta and the running defense figuring out what worked for them in the first two weeks of the season.
Final Score and Prediction
Atlanta has benefited from subpar play from all four of its opponents this year, but the Buccaneers really seemed to be trending upward in th second half last week. If they can keep the offense rolling, then Atlanta should have a very difficult time keeping up. Atlanta did play the Rams tough, but Matthew Stafford has struggled with turnovers all season. I see the Buccaneers rolling, 34-20.
NFL Betting Odds
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