A pair of NFC South rivals face off in a Thursday night matchup of teams coming off disappointing losses in Week 2. The Falcons were dominated in a 24-10 defeat at Cincinnati as the offense struggled to move the ball with any consistency and the defense once again surrendered nearly 500 yards. The Buccaneers nearly beat the Rams last week before a last-minute field goal gave St. Louis the win and Tampa Bay its second loss in two games this season.
‘Thursday Night Football’ 2014 live stream: How to watch Buccaneers vs. Falcons online
The Falcons look to bounce back with a win at home against the Buccaneers.
Joe Robbins
This is almost a must-win for the 1-1 Falcons, who beat the Saints in their season opener and need to keep pace with the 2-0 Panthers in the division race. Matt Ryan has to regain the chemistry with his receivers, as he was picked off three times and completed less than 55 percent of his passes in the loss to the Bengals. This after a week where he and the offense looked as good as any in the league. A performance resembling the season opener would be a good start.
The Buccaneers also likely consider this a must-win game, though that is less because of their expectations to win the division and more because of their daunting upcoming schedule as they try to dig out of an 0-2 hole. The game in Atlanta is the first of three straight road games for the Bucs, who travel to Pittsburgh in Week 4 and New Orleans in Week 5.
Here are your media details for Thursday’s matchup:
How to Watch
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.
When: 8:25 p.m. ET
TV: CBS, NFL Network
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms (CBS)
Radio: Buccaneers: WFUS 103.5 FM, WDAE 620 AM | Falcons: 92.9 The Game, 790 The Zone
Online Streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile
Odds
The Falcons are 6-point favorites at home against the winless Buccaneers, according to OddsShark, and the over/under for the game is set at 46.
Nuts and Bolts
The good news for the Falcons is their defense can't get much worse, after allowing an NFL-high 944 total yards through two games. Only four teams since the merger have given up that many yards in the first two games of the season and made the playoffs: 2013 Chargers, 2011 Patriots, 2011 Packers and 1994 Patriots. So, yeah, I wouldn't count them out yet.
The Buccaneers are really banged up and will face a huge challenge in getting their first win of the season at the Georgia Dome in primetime. All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (hand) and running back Doug Martin (knee) are both listed as questionable while linebacker Mason Foster (shoulder) and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins (ankle) have already been declared out.
Further Reading
For more on the Buccaneers, be sure to read Bucs Nation. For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic.
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