Both the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers had much higher hopes for this season.
The Falcons were a play away from going to the Super Bowl while the Buccaneers got off to a nice start under Greg Schiano in the 2013 season and added two Pro Bowlers to the secondary in former New York Jets’ cornerback Darrelle Revis and San Francisco 49ers’ safety Dashon Goldson.
However, both offenses have been decimated by injuries. Falcons’ running back Stephen Jackson and wide receiver Roddy White have been banged up throughout the season and they lost star receiver Julio Jones for the season. The Buccaneers lost running back Doug Martin and wide receiver Mike Williams for the season and famously parted ways with quarterback Josh Freeman.
The Falcons played like one of the worst teams in the league for the second straight week, losing to the Seattle Seahawks 33-10. The Buccaneers earned their first win, defeating the Miami Dolphins 22-19 on Monday night.
Overall, the Falcons have lost six of their seven games with their only win coming in 31-23 victory over the Buccaneers on October 20.
Although the Falcons have opened as a one-point favorite and the Buccaneers are playing on a short week, I like the Buccaneers, who have been much more competitive over their last few games than the Falcons, to pull the slight upset at home.