Will Tampa Bay Buccaneers stop Devonta Freeman?
Quietly, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have allowed just 3.5 yards per carry this season, meaning that they’ve had the NFL’s third best run defense from an efficiency standpoint. This week, they will face the Atlanta Falcons, and star running back Devonta Freeman will present them with a challenge they’ve already faced before.
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8, they were able to win 23-20 in overtime behind some timely place, including an interception and forced fumble from standout rookie linebacker Kwon Alexander. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones went to work on the Buccaneers secondary, but it wasn’t enough.
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Meanwhile, Devonta Freeman had himself 88 yards on the ground on 21 carries, which seems solid enough on the surface, but it was his first game without 100 rushing yards after piling it on the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, and Tennessee Titans in his previous three games. Freeman, in fact, turned 12 carries into just 12 yards a week later, meaning that the Bucs were the first team to stop his hot streak.
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It’s been a rough stretch of games for the Falcons, who are suddenly just one game ahead of the Bucs in the NFC South at 6-5 and in a must-win situation on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Getting Freeman going is a huge key for this offense, especially with the way Ryan and the Falcons WRs (excluding Julio Jones) have struggled in recent weeks.
Freeman suffered a concussion in Week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts after racking up 48 yards on just three carries, and his absence allowed us to witness the rise of rookie Tevin Coleman in Week 12. But while Coleman had 110 yards on 18 carries after having an inefficient day against the Colts in the previous week, his costly mistakes helped contribute to the team’s loss to a tough Minnesota Vikings team.
According to Bleacher Report’s Luke Easterling, Falcons veteran wide receiver Roddy White stated on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio that Freeman has cleared the concussion protocol. Freeman has always been expected to suit up for Week 13, so, barring a setback, he should be locked in as Atlanta’s lead back, with potentially some touches going to the speedier (but less consistent) Coleman.
The stakes are higher this week for the Falcons with less games to make up for a mishap, and the Buccaneers have an even smaller margin for error as a 5-6 team looking to potentially sneak into the playoffs as a huge success story. With the way Jameis Winston, Doug Martin, and the wide receiver duo are playing, the Bucs aren’t forked, but their fate could ultimately lie in the hands of the defense.
Giving up 88 yards on the ground to Freeman isn’t something to be ashamed of, but the duo of Freeman and Coleman has the raw talent to eclipse 100 with ease on Sunday. The Buccaneers know that limiting the effectiveness of the Falcons ground game will be a huge priority, and they do have the personnel to accomplish this task.
In fact, the Buccaneers are coming off one of the best performances by a team’s run defense this season, as they completely shut down Frank Gore in Week 12, holding the Colts to just 27 yards and about one yard per carry.
Although the Bucs failed to pull out the victory, the run defense did its part, and, with the way the pass defense played against Matt Hasselbeck, this unit will have to come up big against Freeman in order to help prevent the pass defense from being torched by Ryan and Jones. Even though the Falcons passing attack hasn’t been as effective as it should be, it’s still very dangerous when the running game starts to roll.
Nov 1, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) runs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at the Georgia Dome. The Buccaneers defeated the Falcons 23-20 in over time. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
While the Philadelphia Eagles had some success on the ground with DeMarco Murray and Kenjon Barner against Tampa Bay, the Bucs didn’t let them control the game by running the ball.
They were even better against the run in Week 10, holding the Dallas Cowboys to a meager 42 rushing yards on 2.0 yards per carry, rendering Darren McFadden wholly ineffective.
A similar performance to what the Bucs did against Gore and McFadden probably won’t take place this Sunday, but it’s clear that the Buccaneers have one of the NFL’s better run defenses.
They don’t allow teams to steadily chew up yardage against them, and that’s critical, because, again, they can’t afford to let other teams control the flow of the game.
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With Freeman looking set to play this week, the Buccaneers should have a challenge, but they should have faith in their ability to stop the run in most matchups.
It will be interesting to see how the pass defense fares out against a Falcons passing attack whose effectiveness is difficult to predict at this juncture, but the battle on the ground should be just as critical, given the fact that Freeman and the Bucs run D are two of the best in their “fields” right now.