Make or break, do or die, call it what you will — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday for Week 14’s action, and it’ll determine whether or not the Bucs control their own destiny for a potential playoff bid or will be almost certainly eliminated from postseason contention altogether.
The Falcons beat the Bucs last time around 16-13, and they sit one game ahead of Tampa Bay. Should the Bucs win, they’ll lead the NFC South on common opponents with invigorated life for a playoff bid. Should they lose, however, they’ll be two games back from Atlanta with little hope of recovery.
We here at Bucs Wire give our predictions for each Bucs game every week, and this is how we see Sunday’s matchup going:
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
This game could honestly go either way with the way both teams have been playing. I’m going to pick the Falcons, though, because I don’t believe this Bucs team from coaching down to players is ready for a game of this caliber. Tampa Bay hasn’t fixed a lot of the issues that plagued it the last time around and the Falcons will also have running back Bijan Robinson in the fold where he was not last time, so this will be a much tougher ask from Tampa Bay. The Bucs have beat up on bad teams all year, and Atlanta is bad, too, but I don’t trust this team to get the job done when it needs it most after lagging behind in the middle of the year like it has. A tough Falcons defense will limit Tampa Bay’s ability to score points and send the Bucs home with its playoff hopes dashed — as they well should be.
Falcons 26, Bucs 17
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
The Bucs rematch with the Falcons is probably their most important game of the season. With a win, they control their destiny. Lose, and they both need to win out and hope the Falcons stumble down the stretch. Despite losing by a walk-off field goal last time, the Bucs were only a botched snap and an improbable Antoine Winfield Jr. forced fumble in the endzone away from losing by double digits. However, neither team is all that good or consistent so their second game could very well go in the opposite direction. The big wrinkle to watch for is whether this week’s Chris Godwin drama translates into a greater focus on him offensively. Tampa Bay tends to be successful against Atlanta when Godwin is used heavily, going 3-1 when he records over 100 yards receiving.
Bucs 17, Falcons 10
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Sunday is one of the most important games of the season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — a playoff berth is likely on the line. It was hard to watch the last time these two teams faced Oct. 22. The Falcons gifted Tampa Bay with several opportunities to win, yet the Bucs repeatedly fell short. I believe the Bucs are better prepped this time out. Does that mean this game will be pretty? No. The Bucs offense will probably come out stagnant, as it has most games this season, and I think a slow start against the Falcons defense will be too much to overcome Sunday. This time we’ll see the true damage of rookie RB Bijan Robinson against Tampa Bay’s defense.
Falcons 21, Bucs 14
