Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons preview, predictions, betting odds, live stream info
By Josh Sanchez
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons
After a big win over the New Orleans Saints to start the season, the Atlanta Falcons suffered a bit of a setback when they fell to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 of the regular season. They will be looking to bounce back on Thursday night when they kick off Week 3 with a home meeting against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Georgia Dome.
Details for Sunday’s game are below:
Date: Thursday, Sept. 18
Start Time: 8:25 p.m. ET
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Stadium: Georgia Dome
TV Info: NFL Network, CBS
Live Stream: Stream 1 | NFL Game Rewind following the game
Radio: For Falcons radio affiliates click here. For Buccaneers radio affiliates click here.
Ticket information: For Falcons ticket info click here. For Buccaneers ticket info click here.
Keys to Victory
Atlanta enters Week 3 with the No. 1 passing offense in the league, while the Buccaneers passing offense is ranked next to last. Tampa Bay’s offense is No. 27 in the running department, so they really need to dig deep if they want to find success.
The good news is that the Falcons defense has been hit or miss in 2014, so as long as they keep things close they could keep their slim chances of an upset alive.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Atlanta Falcons (-6.5)
Moneyline: Buccaneers (+235) vs. Falcons (-280)
O/U: 45 points
odds via ESPN.com
Prediction
The ability for Atlanta to light up the scoreboard will likely be the big difference on Thursday night, while the Buccaneers offensive woes could continue and we will have to see whether or not Lovie Smith eventually gives up on “his guy” at quarterback in favor of Mike Glennon.
There is always a chance that the Buccaneers defensive line could generate pressure and get Matt Ryan off of his rhythm, but if they come up short Ryan could put up another big passing game that gets the Falcons back in the win column.
Final Score: Atlanta Falcons: 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 10