Falcons -2 — 2 units
Bucs have lost 3 deflating games in a row and Koetter is almost definitely gone. Falcons have still been playing hard – 2 wins in a row and Dan Quinn is coming back. There is no guarantee that the entire Tampa Bay roster will be fully focused for this game with all the questions surrounding the franchise. Atlanta should play more focused with the guarantee that Quinn will still be their coach next season and he’s still their boss.
Tampa Bay’s run defense is bad – 4.7 ypc – and both Tevin Coleman and Brian Hill (who had 115 yards on 8 carries last week) can run all over Tampa Bay. The Bucs are also weak at cornerback and Julio Jones, Mohammed Sanu, and Calvin Ridley can take advantage all day.
Winston and the offense can put up points because Atlanta’s defense isn’t good, but the Bucs have found ways to lose over the past few years – turnovers, penalties, and untimely plays. Winston has 13 interceptions to just 15 touchdowns and if he is in a game where he has to keep up with Matt Ryan, Winston is the more likely of the two to make a game-changing mistake.
Atlanta is always better at home than on the road but they’ve beaten Tampa Bay four times in a row (twice on the road) and, even though it was a backup QB, they’re coming off a road win at Carolina. Atlanta looks to end a bad season by winning three games in a row and taking advantage of a bad team. Falcons pull away in the 4th quarter.
