Atlanta Falcons: 3 Bold predictions in Week 17 vs. Buccaneers
Atlanta Falcons bold predictions for Week 17 against the Buccaneers.
The Atlanta Falcons head into Week 17 of the 2020 NFL season with nothing to play for other than trying to end the year on a high note against a divisional opponent that beat them just a few weeks ago.
In the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon in Tampa Bay, Atlanta rounds out the season with a matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in hopes of playing spoiler (somewhat) when it comes to impacting Tampa Bay’s positioning in the NFC Playoffs.
The Falcons and Buccaneers squared off just two weeks ago in Week 15, which was the first of two matchups between the teams here in 2020. In that game, Tampa Bay erased a 17-point deficit in the first half to come back and win 31-27 in Atlanta.
While looking to even the two-game series on Sunday, the Falcons come into the contest with a record of 4-11, sitting at the bottom of the NFC South standings while also having lost four games in a row going into the regular-season finale.
Atlanta most recently fell on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16, dropping a close contest against the defending Super Bowl Champions 17-14 at Arrowhead Stadium. The Falcons had a chance late in the game to possibly steal a victory but fell short to the hands of the Chiefs.
Before the Falcons and Buccaneers battle it out one last time in a NFC South contest this Sunday in Week 17, let’s look at the matchup and predict three things that will occur for Atlanta in the last game of the season.
3. Game will be another high-scoring contest
The first prediction that will take place in the divisional showdown between Atlanta and Tampa Bay this weekend is that it will feature yet another high-scoring game with two of the top offenses in the NFL taking the field in Tampa Bay.
In the first game of the year between the Falcons and Buccaneers a couple of weeks ago in Week 15, both teams put up a decent amount of points while turning the game into a shootout by the end of the contest.
Atlanta opened the game up by rattling off a quick 17 points, but Tampa Bay answered back with 31 points in the second half alone to complete the comeback victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
When you look at both offenses, it’s easy to understand why they feature two of the top offensive units and specifically passing games in the NFL, with Tom Brady and Matt Ryan leading the way with weapons on both sides of the field.
For Brady and Tampa Bay, they have the 11th-best offense in the league, including the third-ranked passing game and the 28th-ranked running attack. When it comes to Ryan and Atlanta, they have the 18th-ranked offensive group, behind the fifth-best passing attack and 29th-ranked run game.
With that much firepower on both sidelines in the regular-season finale in Week 17, Atlanta and Tampa Bay will once again combine to put up a large number of points on Sunday afternoon in Tampa Bay.