Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons Betting Odds, Preview

Written by:
Carrie Stroup
Published on:
Sep/18/2014
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons Betting Odds, Preview

Carrie Stroup here with your Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons betting odds and a preview of this game.  Place your 1st bet at Sportsbook.ag here, get your 2nd bet FREE.

Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Atlanta -6.5 & 47

Opening Line & Total: Falcons -6 & 45

The Buccaneers look to avoid an 0-3 start when they head to Georgia Dome on Thursday night to take on the Falcons.

Tampa Bay had a home matchup with the Rams on Sunday, but was unable to come away with a much-needed victory early in the season. The Bucs lost 19-17 despite being 4.5-point home favorites, and have now lost five straight games (SU and ATS) dating to last season. The Falcons, on the other hand, were 5.5-point underdogs in Cincinnati and were blown out 24-10 in a game where both their offense and defense really struggled. Atlanta will need to capitalize on the mistakes of Tampa Bay QB Josh McCown, who has already thrown three interceptions this season. The Buccaneers, however, will likely try to slow this game down, as they know they have no chance of beating the Falcons in a fast-paced shootout. These clubs have split the season series in each of the past three years, and while Atlanta is 5-1 SU in the past six home meetings in this series, Tampa Bay is 10-4 ATS in its past 14 visits to Georgia Dome. Mike Smith is 9-2 ATS in September home games as the coach of the Falcons, and he is also 13-4 ATS after a double-digit loss by 10. The total has gone Over in eight of the last 11 Falcons home games. The Bucs could be without some key defensive players in this game with DT Gerald McCoy (hand), LB Mason Foster (shoulder), S Bradley McDougald and DE Michael Johnson (ankle) all questionable, but the good news is that star RB Doug Martin (knee) is expected to return after a one-game absence. Falcons stud OT Jake Matthews (ankle) has been upgraded to probable, as have starting WRs Roddy White (hamstring) and Julio Jones (ankle).

The Buccaneers have had a very disappointing start to their season. They first lost to a Cam Newton-less Panthers team and were then unable to defeat a Rams squad that was starting third-stringer Austin Davis at quarterback. QB Josh McCown has been the victim of playing behind a shaky offensive line. He’s been sacked only four times, but has had little time to get rid of the ball and it’s showing. McCown was 16-of-21 for 179 yards and an interception in the loss to St. Louis, but did rush for two touchdowns. RB Bobby Rainey started in place of the injured RB Doug Martin and performed extremely well, carrying the football 22 times for 144 yards while also catching three passes for 30 yards. Regardless of whether or not Martin returns in Week 3, Rainey has earned himself more touches with last week's performance, but Martin is still the main ball carrier who has loved visiting Georgia Dome with 189 rushing yards on 4.9 YPC in his two visits to Atlanta. Tampa Bay must get the running game going against the Falcons, as the club is coming off a game in which it allowed 170 yards on the ground to the Bengals. The Bucs, however, will have trouble against Matt Ryan’s offense. Tampa Bay has allowed 220.5 yards per game through the air this season, but that was against Derek Anderson and Austin Davis. Now they face a legitimate passer and will have to do a better job of covering receivers.

The Falcons went into Cincinnati in Week 2 and came away with a disappointing loss. The defense for this team has already struggled, allowing 317.5 yards per game through the air (31st in NFL) and 154.5 YPG on the ground this year. Following up a 448-yard and three-touchdown performance against the Saints, QB Matt Ryan was horrendous against the Bengals, going 24-of-44 for 231 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Luckily he’ll get to face a Tampa Bay defense that made Austin Davis look like a legitimate NFL starter, and Ryan has had plenty of success in this series, going 8-4 SU (but 4-7-1 ATS), including a 5-1 SU mark at home. In the past four home starts versus Tampa Bay, Ryan has completed 68% of his passes for 213 YPG, 7 TD and 0 INT. WR Julio Jones should have no trouble getting open as he is capable of doing so against any team in the league, and has done so many times versus Tampa Bay. In four career meetings in this divisional matchup, he has 394 receiving yards and 3 TD, and Jones caught seven passes for 88 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals. Atlanta would be wise to get its running backs more involved in the offensive game plan. RB Steven Jackson is the main ball carrier, but has just 23 rushes for 98 yards in two games. If the Falcons can make opponents respect their running game more, it will open up the field for Ryan to make more plays. The Tampa Bay defense has had issues this season, but if the Falcons are too predictable, they’ll pay for it.

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com

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