Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons Matchup Preview (12/5/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs. Atlanta Falcons Matchup Preview (12/5/21)

In week 13 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who are leading the NFC South with an 8-3 record meet their division rival the 5-6 Atlanta Falcons for the second time this season.  In week 2, Tom Brady led the way with five touchdown passes as the Buccaneers beat the Falcons, 48-25 in Tampa Bay.  The Buccaneers defeated the Indianapolis Colts in week 12 for their second straight victory after losing two in a row previously.  In the victory over Indianapolis, Tampa Bay had four rushing touchdowns, the first time they did so since Week 9 of the 2012 season.  The Falcons beat the Jaguars 21-14 in week 12 snapping a two-game losing streak. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs. Atlanta Falcons Betting Odds

This weekend, Tampa Bay is an 11-point road favorite.  Atlanta is 5-6 against the spread this season; 0-4 at home.  Tampa Bay has scored 31 or more points in six games this season and have scored 68 points in their last two games.  The Buccaneers are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games in Week 13.  In their last home the Falcons were shutout by the Patriots, 

25-0.  Atlanta has scored less than 14 points in four games this season.   The Falcons are 0-6 against the spread in their last six games in Week 13.

My Prediction: Buccaneers 35-21, Buccaneers cover and go over 50.5 points.

TV Schedule

Date: 12/5/21
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Location: Raymond James – Tampa, FL
TV Coverage: FOX

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs. Atlanta Falcons Live Stream

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Analysis

The Buccaneers offense is third in the NFL in total offense averaging 401.7 yards per game.  They have the highest scoring offense in the league averaging 31.5 points per game.  Tampa Bay also leads the league in passing yards, throwing for 305.1 yards per contest.   

In the week 12 win at Indianapolis, Tom Brady once again helped his team in a comeback victory over the Colts.   He was 25-34 for 226 yards and touchdown in the win.  This season, the G.O.A.T. is second in the league in passing yards with 3,403 and passing yards per game with 309.4.  He’s also leading the NFL in touchdowns passes with 30.  Brady has thrown at least 30 touchdowns in each of his two seasons as a Buccaneer; all other Tampa Bay quarterbacks have had one such season, Jameis Winston threw 33 touchdowns in 2019.  Overall including the playoffs, the seven-time Super Bowl champion has thrown 80 touchdown passes in 31 games as a Buccaneer.  He’s the all-time leader in touchdown passes with 611.  

Tampa Bay’s rushing attack is averaging 95.8 yards per game, which is 23^rd in the NFL.  Since 2020, they’ve had six games with an individual 100-yard rusher.  Leonard Fournette was in “beast mode” against the Colts in week 12.  He ran for 100 yards on 18 carries with four touchdowns.  He averaged 5.9 yards a carry and added 31 yards receiving on the day, scoring 44.1 fantasy points per NFL.com.  Fournette is the third Buccaneer in team history to score four touchdowns in a game.  His final touchdown of the day showed Fournette’s brute force as he ran over multiple Colts at the goal line, truly impressive.  This season the former LSU Tiger is leading the team in rushing with 621 yards on 139 carries.  He’s added 354 yards receiving and has eight total touchdowns (seven rushing and one receiving) this season. 

Rob Gronkowski probably the greatest tight end of all-time has been in and out of the lineup this season due to injury.  Against the Colts he had seven catches for 123 yards.  Gronkowski has at least 100 yards receiving in 34 games in his career, including playoffs which is tied for most such games among tight ends since 1950 per NFL.com.  The multiple-time Super Bowl champion has 29 catches for 378 yards and four touchdowns: averaging 13 yards a reception this season.  He’s caught 90 touchdown passes in 137 games in his career.  If he can stay in the lineup, he’ll be a major threat in the red zone, but help the running game due to his outstanding abilities as a blocker.  

Tampa Bay’s defense is allowing 328.5 yards of total offense to their opponents this season, ranking them eighth in the league.   They’re also ranked 17^th in the league allowing 23 points per game in 2021.  In the win vs. the Colts in week 12, the Buccaneers had five takeaways.

Per NFL.com, the Buccaneers have not allowed 100 plus scrimmage yards and one plus scrimmage touchdown to a running back since December 13, 2020 (vs. Minnesota – Dalvin Cook).  The run defense is ranked number one in the NFL, allowing 81 yards per game this season.  

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Depth Chart

QB: Tom Brady
RB1: Leonard Fournette
RB2: Ronald Jones II
WR1: Mike Evans
WR2: Chris Godwin
WR3: Tyler Johnson
TE1: Rob Gronkowski
TE2: Cameron Brate

Atlanta Falcons Analysis

Atlanta is ranked 26^th in the NFL in total offense with 310.5 yards.  They’re scoring 18.1 points per game, ranking them 28^th in the league.  Before their victory over Jacksonville in week 12, Atlanta had scored three points combined in their last two games.  They’ve also at one point went 23 straight drives without a touchdown, which was their longest drought since at least 2000 per NFL.com.

The leader of the Atlanta offense, Matt Ryan was average in the victory over Jacksonville going 19-29 for 190 yards and a touchdown.  On the season the 2016 NFL MVP has thrown for 2,617 yards while throwing 16 touchdowns with a 67.5 completion percentage.  Ryan can still make winning plays and quality throws, but at times he looks slow, and one questions if the end is near for the 36-year-old signal caller?  He has thrown 363 touchdown passes in 216 career games, but do the Falcons have to focus on drafting a quarterback in the upcoming draft?

Rookie tight end Kyle Pitts is the Falcons most dangerous pass catcher.  He’s Atlanta’s leading receiver this season being targeted 75 times, catching 45 of those for 661 yards, but disappointingly has only one touchdown.  Unfortunately, in the victory over Jacksonville, Pitts had two catches for 26 yards.  With his speed and physicality, Pitts should be one of the most dominant tight ends in the league, but as a rookie he still has a lot to learn about the league and how to get open consistently.  The fourth pick in the 2021 draft must be the Falcons main threat in the passing game.   

After playing the last two season with the Chicago Bears as a kick returner and part-time running back/wide receiver, gaining 550 yards of total offense in both seasons combined, Cordarrelle Patterson is one of the most surprising players of the 2021 season.   In the 21-14 win over the Jaguars, he rushed for 108 yards on 16 carries for two touchdowns: averaging 6.8 rushing yards per attempt.  Listed as a running back, Patterson has rushed for 411 yards on 93 carries, caught 41 passes for 500 yards and scored nine touchdowns (four rushing and five receiving).  His five receiving touchdowns are tied for the most in Atlanta’s history by a running back in a season.  The former first round pick of the Vikings has tied his career-high in touchdowns in a season with nine, which he first accomplished in 2013.   

Defensively, the Falcons are allowing 361.8 yards of total offense to their opponents this season, ranking them 22^nd in the NFL.  Ranked 31^st in the league, Atlanta is allowing 27.5 points per game in 2021.

Atlanta Falcons Depth Chart

QB: Matt Ryan
RB1: Cordarrelle Patterson 
RB2: Mike Davis
WR1: Tajae Sharpe
WR2: Russell Gage
WR3: Olamide Zaccheaus
TE1: Kyle Pitts

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs. Atlanta Falcons Daily Fantasy Picks

Tom Brady has thrown 11 touchdown passes in his three games against the Falcons as the Buccaneers quarterback.  He’s averaging 3.7 touchdown passes per game against the NFC South Division rival.  

Russell Gage was expected to be the go-to receiver with Calvin Ridley out indefinitely (non-football related), but it has been a struggle to be the number one receiver.  Against the Jaguars in week 12, Gage stepped up his game, catching six passes for 62 yards and a touchdown: averaging 10.3 yards a catch.  He’s been targeted 15 times the last two weeks, catching 11 of those passes.  If you have a couple of good receivers in your lineup, Gage might be a solid third or fourth receiver option.