Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Atlanta Falcons Pick & Prediction, Sun Dec 05 01:00 PM

EXPERT NFL TOTAL Jimmy Liu

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An NFC South matchup is set to kick off between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons. The Buccaneers came dangerously close to losing to Indianapolis last week but pulled off a 38-31 win.

This week they face the rival that they hosted in Week 2, the Atlanta Falcons. The last time these two teams faced off, the Buccaneers pulled off a 48-25 victory.

To be fair to the Atlanta Falcons, they’re a much different team now than they were. They come off of a big win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The main question is, how will the Falcons defense perform against the Buccaneers offense.

They come in as heavy underdogs here, so they’ll definitely get help from the sportsbook. Will it be enough to take them against the spread?

Buccaneers vs. Falcons Betting Lines for Week 13

TV: FOX

MONEY LINE: Buccaneers (-520) vs. Falcons (+415)

SPREAD: Buccaneers -11 (-115) vs. Falcons +11 (-105)

GAME TOTAL: Over 50.5 (-110) vs. Under 50.5 (-110)

Buccaneers at Falcons Betting Trends and Preview

One thing the Buccaneers do really well is dig themselves out of a slump. Before their wins over the Giants and Colts, they lost two straight games. Now they’re sitting comfortably at the top of the NFC South, however, they want more.

If they want the chance to claim a first-round bye, they’ll need to secure another win over the Atlanta Falcons. Something they’re familiar with.

The last time these two played, the Buccaneers handled the Falcons easily. Now, the main person to stop in Atlanta is Cordarralle Patterson, their leading rusher.

If the Buccaneers can slow him down, they should be just fine here. More importantly, the Falcons will likely have no answers for the Buccaneers' offense.

Unfortunately for the Falcons, they come in at a steep disadvantage. They’re playing the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, and the best passing offense.

These are things that the Falcons don’t have so getting into a shootout is out of the question. Instead, they’ll have to find a more sneaky way of competing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

One way they can do this is by putting bodies on Tom Brady often. If they can blitz him efficiently, there’s a chance they can force some turnovers.

Without a strong defensive game, the Falcons will easily get blown out here. The only bad part is that the Falcons have a very weak defense, allowing 27.5 points per game.

Buccaneers vs. Falcons Pick

Buccaneers 35 - Falcons 20

Since the Falcons can’t get into a scoring competition against the Buccaneers, it’s safe to choose Tampa Bay here. The Falcons have an awful defense that surrenders a ton of points each week regardless of who they play.

Now they’re facing the best offense in the NFL who just scored 38 points against the Colts defense.

The Buccaneers are doing all that they can to secure that first-round bye. With the talented players on their roster, covering eleven points shouldn’t be a problem. The last time these two played the Buccaneers won by 23, so eleven should be no sweat.

Even with some injuries to their lineup, take the Buccaneers to win the game and cover the spread.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Tampa Bay is 4-2 ATS in their last six games against Atlanta.

2. The total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta's last seven games against Tampa Bay.

3. The Atlanta Falcons are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games at home.

Best Bet: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -11

PREDICTION

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

31

19

Atlanta Falcons

Tom Brady threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns Sunday, two of them to tight end Rob Gronkowski, as the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers posted a 30-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Brady completed 38 of 51 attempts as Tampa Bay improved to 9-3 and moved one step closer to clinching the NFC South. The Falcons (5-7) missed on a chance to put pressure on Washington, which entered the day holding the NFC's last playoff spot at 5-6.

Brady and Gronkowski hooked up on a 11-yard scoring strike with 29 seconds left in the third quarter for a 10-point lead. But it was Chris Godwin who carried most of the load for the Bucs' receiving corps, catching 15 passes for 143 yards.

Matt Ryan completed 30 of 41 passes for 297 yards for Atlanta, including finding Russell Gage 11 times for 131 yards.

Each team scored on its first possession, taking different paths to the end zone. Tampa Bay threw on all 13 plays of the game's first drive. Brady completed 11 for 75 yards, finding Leonard Fournette for 3 yards and a score at the 9:53 mark.

Atlanta needed just 3:13 to respond, thanks to a 40-yard run by Cordarrelle Patterson that put it deep in Bucs territory. Mike Davis thundered 17 yards off right tackle for the touchdown.

Brady hit tight end Cameron Brate for a 3-yard scoring strike with 4:24 left in the first quarter for a 13-7 lead.

Tampa Bay's defense prevented the Falcons from taking the lead in the second quarter with a goal-line stand. Atlanta had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo with 8:43 left.

Brady connected with Gronkowski on a short pass over the middle that the tight end turned into a 27-yard touchdown with 4:54 remaining to make it 20-10.

The Falcons stole momentum just before halftime when Brady tossed a stunning interception on a screen pass that Marlon Davison returned 3 yards for a score that closed their deficit to 20-17.

--Field Level Media