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The Falcons are going to try, very hard, to thread the needle the rest of the way. That means one of the great runs in franchise history, and it begins with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs are .500 and have a couple of strong wins this season, but their awful defeat at the hands of the Bears was even worse than Atlanta’s defeat at the hands of the Steelers. That leaves both teams coming off a humiliating loss, but the Bucs also are coming off a bye week. The Falcons’ season either all but officially ends here, or they live to fight another day, and there’s not much more to be said than that.
The Bucs aren’t simply going to roll over, no matter how much we might like that. They’re fighting for relevance, they’re fighting to not have to clean house again, and they’re fighting to stay alive in the NFC South in their own right. A team like Tampa Bay has had to absorb years and years of being a punchline, especially on the other end of some serious ass-kickings from other teams in the division, and this is supposed to be the year when it all comes together. If the Falcons were totally healthy, I’d say they walk away with this one. In their current state, and with their current problems, no outcome would really surprise me.
Here’s what you’ll need to know for Sunday afternoon.
Falcons vs. Buccaneers info
Time: Sunday, October 14, 1 p.m. EST
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
TV Channel: FOX
Streaming: FuboTV
Announcers: Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman
Radio: 92.9 The Game
Key Questions: Will the Falcons be able to return to their high-flying ways on offense against a truly awful Buccaneers defense? Will Grady Jarrett be back to help hold a pretty potent Bucs offense in check? Oh god, how many points will they score?