Reactions to the Falcons’ impressive Week 9 win over the Bucs

DW

The Bucs are a sad, sad team. However, going on the road is always tough. Doing it against a division opponent adds to the difficulty. When you throw in the fact that it was on a short week, this had the makings of a trap game for the Falcons. However, even while missing key weapons in Tevin Coleman and Jacob Tamme, Matt Ryan and company barely flinched. They dominated in the second half in both phases, with the defense bouncing back and punishing the hapless Bucs offense all night. It was an impressive win, and gave the Falcons a comfortable lead in the race for the division.

Kendall Jackson

At some point we’re going to run out of superlatives to describe this offense. Dare I say this offense is incapable of being stifled for an entire game. Also, the Falcon-lite Bucs suck.

Dave Choate

A narrow win here would have been cause for a muted fist pump, given that the Buccaneers are injured, tired, and pretty lousy. The fact that it was a lopsided blowout where the team fired on all cylinders after some early stumbling about means I’ll celebrate a little louder, and the 6-3 record and 2.5 game lead over everyone else in the division has me downright #firedup. This team is building toward something great, and I just hope they can get there.

Torgo

After dropping the first game to the Bucs in Atlanta, the Falcons truly needed this one to maintain their division lead - and they delivered. One item that jumped out at me is that the team used only three wide receivers, with the trio racking up 18 receptions between them. Gabriel appears to have taken over the slot receiver role, and Shanahan also made use of his speed in the running game. Seems fitting for a team whose top two RBs are also key components of the passing game.

Caleb Rutherford

The first half of the game had me a little nervous. We were clearly doing better than them, but getting only six points on two turnovers (one in the red zone) had me a little concerned we were going to flounder about and keep the game closer than we’d like. However, the Falcons came roaring out of the gates after halftime and looked like a rejuvenated team on both offense and defense. It’s as Michael Irvin said: good teams are supposed to win games like this, and good teams should demonstrate their superiority over teams that aren’t good. While it took a little longer than I would’ve liked, that’s pretty much what happened. I’ll take it.

Kyle McClendon

Atlanta did exactly what many hoped they would do in this game: they scored points and they won the game. The defense showed that they have a pretty decent pass rush (already surpassed last season’s sack total) and that they have some pretty decent depth in the backfield. I really hope this defense can continue to improve and become at least an average NFL defense, because if that happens, the Falcons will be legitimate contenders to make some noise in the playoffs. We aren’t there yet, I don’t think, but with a little defensive growth, we can get there. All in all, great win, though.

Kevin Knight

I thought the Falcons would get a convincing win, but I didn’t think it would be that convincing. Atlanta dominated Tampa Bay thoroughly in the second half, and were a few missed red zone opportunities from dropping 50+ points on Thursday night. The Falcons’ offense is nearly unstoppable at times, and Matt Ryan is having the best season of his career. Sure, the defense leaves plenty to be desired, but they’re showing flashes of ability. If Quinn can have that unit playing average ball by the time the playoffs roll around...watch out, NFL.