Sunday NFL Betting– Bucs, Falcons Vie For NFC South Lead
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons share a 5-2 record and the lead in the NFC South Division. They meet on the first weekend of November.
In this wacky 2010 NFL season – a year in which the entire NFC is bunched up and in which the San Diego Chargers are 3-5 at the midway point – very few things make sense at the present moment.
VIEW OUR TOP CAPPERS PICKS FOR ALL SPORTS – EVERY SINGLE DAY 24/7 —–>
One such head-scratching development is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who finished 3-13 in 2009 and appeared to be stuck at the bottom of the NFC – are 5-2 through their first seven games. Young coach Raheem Morris is making good on his commitment to revive a franchise that enjoyed a successful decade under the guidance of both Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden, but then slipped back into mediocrity in recent seasons. Now, the Bucs will receive a stern test of their glowing 5-2 mark, as they travel to Atlanta to take on the 5-2 Falcons.
Atlanta hasn’t owned the NFC South in recent years, but coach Mike Smith’s team made the playoffs two seasons ago and knows what it feels like to succeed in the regular season. We’ll learn a lot about the caliber of the Buccaneers in this game, as they find out if they’re a pretender or a contender… not only in their division, but in their conference as well.
GO INSIDE THIS MATCHUP WITH OUR NFL ATS STATS —>
Tampa Bay Buccaneers AT Atlanta Falcons
Odds: Buccaneers +10, Falcons -10
Total: 44.5
CLICK HERE – BET NOW AT JUSTBET.COM
How Can Tampa Bay Win?
For Tampa Bay, the defensive plays just have to keep coming against a quarterback as talented as Atlanta signal caller Matt Ryan. Atlanta is plus-eight in turnover margin, so the Bucs have to win the turnover battle and force the Falcons into difficult positions on Sunday.
Last week against Arizona, Tampa Bay scored two of its five touchdowns on pick-sixes, taking the burden off the offense to perform. Any successful NFL season requires various players – and all three phases of competition – to produce game-changing moments and high-impact performances.
The Bucs are getting those kinds of things in 2010, and that’s why they’ve won five of their first seven games. If Tampa Bay can disguise its defensive looks and put Atlanta into third-and-long for most of the afternoon, it will have a chance to register still more interceptions and give its offense a short field. That’s the Bucs’ path to victory in this game.
How Can Atlanta Win?
If Tampa Bay needs to take the ball away from Atlanta, the Falcons can’t give it to them – that’s priority number one for Matt Ryan and his offensive teammates. However, the area where the Falcons will really need to perform is on defense.
Tampa Bay has not beaten great teams this year; the Bucs defeated Cleveland and Cincinnati in the AFC (a couple of 2-5 teams) while beating Carolina (1-6), St. Louis (4-4) and Arizona (3-4). Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman is not a particularly distinguished quarterback, but he threw a last-second touchdown to beat the Rams and is increasingly winning the trust of his team. Atlanta needs to punch Freeman in the mouth and rattle the Bucs’ field general very early in this game.
If Atlanta can send a physical and forceful message to the other sideline, it can establish a psychological advantage and bust this game open well before the fourth quarter.
Outlook
Simply stated, Tampa Bay needs to prove it can beat a good team on the road. There’s a reason why the Falcons are favored by double digits in a matchup of teams with identical records. Tampa Bay isn’t facing Arizona Cardinal quarterback Max Hall this week; Matt Ryan won’t throw one pick-six, let alone two. The Falcons will roll at home and cover the spread.
Pick: Falcons -10
GRAB A 45% Deposit Bonus at JustBet.com Today. Deposit a minimum amount of $100 , maximum $2500 and get a 45% Free-Play. CLICK HERE NOW!
