Monday Night Football features an NFC South battle as The Atlanta Falcons (8-5) visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-9) in a game they must win if they want to keep their hopes of winning the division title alive.
Atlanta is one game behind the division-leading New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers with games left against both opponents coming up in week 16 and 17.
If the Falcons want to win this game at Raymond James Stadium they will have to commit to the run, because even though they have a great passing offense, led by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, they need to attack the Bucs on the ground to take advantage of the absence of Bucs DT Gerald McCoy, who is out with a biceps injury.
They must pound the ball inside with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman to set the pace with the running game.
The Bucs meanwhile must find a way to get the big and talented wide receiver Mike Evans going if they want to have a shot at upsetting the Falcons. If by the time this game ends it’s just a Julio Jones highlight reel then Tampa will most likely earn its tenth loss
If Atlanta wants to use a cover three zone to stop the Bucs, wideout Desean Jackson should be able to slice right through that. After all the Falcons gave up some big plays to Minnesota a couple of weeks ago and if Jameis Winston gets to connect with both of his star receivers Tampa may be able to create problems for the Falcons pass defense.
It’s true that this has been a disappointing season for the Bucs and that Winston has had an up-and-down year, but part of that has been due to the shoulder injury that forced him to miss three games.
Despite all these obstacles, the Falcons know that the Bucs have a very talented team with several playmakers so they can’t look ahead to the upcoming games before they make sure they secure a win in Tampa.
