Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons Prediction: Can Desmond Ridder, Falcons Put Up Points?
The Buccaneers play the Falcons this afternoon. Can Desmond Ridder and the Falcons put up points against Baker Mayfield and the Bucs? Ben Rajavuori breaks down his Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons prediction.
Ben Rajavuori - December 10, 2023, 11:17 AM EST
7 minTampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons Prediction: Can Desmond Ridder, Falcons Put Up Points?
The Atlanta Falcons, at 6-6, currently lead the NFC South. Yes, it's looking like the worst division in football this year, but someone has to win it. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meanwhile, are not far behind at 5-7. This means if the Bucs beat the Falcons today, the division leader will be 6-7. Not the prettiest division in football, but someone's gotta win it! The Falcons won the first matchup. Can they do it again?
Buccaneers vs. Falcons Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: December 10, 2023
- Game Time: 1:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: CBS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons Prediction
Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Falcons in the first meeting. Desmond Ridder fumbled three total times. Two fumbles were at the ONE-yard line. The other was on third and goal. Two fumbles on the one in one game is a pretty rare event, but a third coming on goal-to-go is just insanely unlucky. But guess what - the Falcons STILL WON. They skated out of that game with a 16-13 win in the Bucs' house thanks to a field goal in the last minute to take the lead.
Considering the Bucs got three red zone fumbles in their favor and still somehow managed to lose at home, I'm not too optimistic about their chances today. Journeyman Baker Mayfield had a strong 3-1 start to the season, but a 2-6 record over the last eight games has them sitting at 5-7.
The Bucs have some key injuries going into this game, with Vita Vea questionable and Devin White and Jamel Dean already listed out. That's a lot of run defense to be missing against a team that loves to run the ball. The Falcons run the ball at the third-highest rate in the league and average the 6th-most rushing yards overall per game. With a fully healthy linebacker group, maybe this wouldn't be such a problem, but the injuries on defense are a big factor here for the Bucs.
On the other side, The Bucs have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who combined for just under 150 receiving yards in the first matchup. Baker Mayfield had 275 passing yards in the first meeting of the season, but he had several long fields to overcome with all the goal-line turnovers from Atlanta.
Despite the three-goal line turnovers, this game ended at 29 points. The total today is 41, and I think this is too low. The Falcons have a decent defense, but Baker proved he could get the ball to Evans and Godwin in the first matchup, and if he didn't get the ball inside his own 10 yard line so many times, they would have scored more. On the other side, the Falcons can run the ball down the Bucs' throats, which will keep the clock running, but should also score them a good amount of points. I do think the Falcons win, but I'm more confident we get at least 42 points in this game. Something around a 24-20 win for the Falcons.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons Pick
Pick: Falcons/Bucs Over 41 -110 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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