Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon in the NFL 2021 season, Week 2. The home side wants to retain the Lombardi trophy and have a good campaign in the regular season. The visitors are huge underdogs in this clash, but they won’t give up on their chances of securing a good result.
Tampa Bay had a slow start into the preseason, as they lost their first two matches. The Buccaneers suffered defeats against the Titans and the Bengals, but they bounced back with a win over the Texans. On the other hand, Atlanta lost all three preseason matches, and they are in a very poor run. The Titans, the Dolphins, and the Browns were better, and they were not even close to winning in any of those games.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Will they meet the expectations?
The defending champions look forward to another successful campaign, and they are one of the hottest favorites to win the Lombardi trophy. They opened the 2021 season well, with a 31-29 victory over the Cowboys. Although the result might indicate differently, the Buccaneers had a pretty good game. Despite a tense result, they controlled the game most of the time. However, they needed to secure a victory thanks to a field goal in the last quarter. Tom Brady passed for 379 yards with four TDs and two interceptions on 32-50. Antonio Brown had five catches and 121 yards with a TD, while Leonard Fournette had nine carries and 32 yards. Tampa Bay’s offensive weapons are very strong, and they drive the team forward.
However, the secondary is a weak spot for the Bucks, allowing the Cowboys to throw over 400 yards against them. On the other hand, the Buccaneers defend the run well, as they did in the past three campaigns. As a result, they allowed just 60 rushing yards.
Expected Line-Up (Offense): Leonard Fournette, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowski, Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet, Ryan Jensen, Alex Cappa, Tristan Wirfs
Expected Line-Up (Defense): Ndamukong Suh, Vita Vea, William Gholston, Anthony Nelson, Devin White, Lavonte David, Shaquil Barrett, Carlton Davis, Antoine Winfield Jr., Jordan Whitehead, Jamel Dean
Quarter Back: Tom Brady
Kicker: Ryan Succop
with best odds
Atlanta Falcons – Can they surprise the defending champions?
The Falcons head to this match after a heavy 32-6 defeat against the Eagles at home. They opened the game with a field goal, and that was about everything they could do. Philadelphia turned around the result by the end of the first quarter, and the hosts managed to remain in the match until the second half. Matt Ryan was held without a TD, and he passed for 164 yards on 21-35. Kyle Pitts had four catches for 51 yards, while Patterson led the rushing department with 54 yards from 7 carries.
The defense was the Falcons’ pain point, as they allowed Hurts to throw for 264 yards and three scores. Atlanta struggled to stop the Eagles’ run and allowed 173 yards and a TD. They allowed a total of 434 yards without forcing the opponent for a turnover. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that they ended with 32 points conceded.
Expected Line-Up (Offense): Mike Davis, Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus, Kyle Pitts, Keith Smith, Jake Matthews, Jalen Mayfield, Matt Hennessy, Chris Lindstrom, Kaleb McGary
Expected Line-Up (Defense): Jonathan Bullard, Tyeler Davison, Grady Jarrett, Steven Means, Deion Jones, Foyesade Oluokun, Dante Fowler Jr., A.J. Terrell, Duron Harmon, Erik Harris, Fabian Moreau
Quarter Back: Matt Ryan
Kicker: Younghoe Koo
Expert Pick #1 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers -12 @-110
Although the bookies offer a double-digit spread, I’ll stick to the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is 5-2 against the number on the previous seven occasions, and I believe they can cover the spread for the fifth time in a row after the last match they failed to do so. Therefore, I’m taking the Bucs ATS as the first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Over 52 @-110
There is not much to say about Tampa Bay’s offense, as it is one of the strongest in the league. On the other hand, their secondary struggled in the last match, and the Falcons might take advantage of that here. It could lead to an efficient clash, and I’ll back the Over as the second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Tom Brady Over 309.5 Passing yards @-120
Atlanta allowed a second-year QB to throw for 264 yards, while Brady logged 379 yards against the Cowboys. The odds seem reasonable for the margin offered, and as a third pick, I’ll take Tom Brady to throw for more than 309.5 yards
