Keys To Cannon Fire: Buccaneers Vs Atlanta Falcons

In this weekly article, we break down what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to do to secure a victory on game day.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a chance to further build their lead in the NFC South when the Atlanta Falcons come to town on Sunday. With a one-game lead in the division and a loss by the Saints on Thursday Night Football, the Bucs can pull ahead on the rest of the NFC South with a win on Sunday. The Falcons have been an up-and-down team this season thus far with a 3-3 record and some uglt losses. 

Quarterback Desmond Ridder has struggled passing the ball and while the running game is still potent this a game the Bucs should win. The Falcons spent the offseason re-tooling their defense and early on the benefits have shown with the league's fourth best average allowed yards. However, there are plenty of reasons for optimism for the Buccaneers winning Sunday. Especially if they follow these keys to cannon fire.

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Stop The Run

The Falcons are one of the best in the league running the ball with the NFL’s 11th-best rushing attack. They’re averaging 119 yards per game with contributions from Tyler Allegier and rookie Bijan Robinson. Guard Chris Lindstrom leads an offensive line that gets a great push to open holes for their talented running backs. Robinson already has 401 yards on the year and is dangerous with the ball in his hands.

If the Bucs are going to have a chance at winning this game it starts with shutting down the Falcons' lethal rushing attack. The Bucs have been one of the best teams in the NFL when it comes to stopping the run game. Outside of a lapse against the Eagles, letting up 201 yards, which featured an injured Vita Vea and Devin White, they have allowed 54.5 yards a game. On the year they are ranked seventh allowing just 83.80 yards per game.

Making the Atlanta offense one-dimensional and putting the ball in Desmond Ridder’s hands to beat you should be a huge point of emphasis for the Buccaneers. Ridder threw three interceptions last week and has six on the season. While he’s shown flashes, if the Bucs defense can get to Ridder with Todd Bowles's exotic schemes they should cruise to victory building upon an early division lead.

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Get Mike And Chris Going Early

The Falcons surprisingly have one of the NFL’s best pass defenses through six weeks. They rank fourth in the league allowing just 179.17 yards per game. The duo of A.J. Terrell and Jeff Okudah have done a good job of slowing down opposing receivers. While Jessie Bates has been a ball hawk for Atlanta’s defense. However, there are still plenty of opportunities for the Bucs to move the ball down the field through the air. Especially by attacking the middle of the field.

While Atlanta’s defense has been good against the pass, they haven't faced a pair of receivers like Chis Godwin and Mike Evans either. Terrell has struggled in the past with Evans allowing 301 yards and two scores in their last four meetings. While Godwin has had a ton of success against the Falcons as well. Including nine touchdowns against the club and four games of 100-plus receiving yards.

Baker Mayfield and the offense will need to get off to a hot start against the Falcons to keep the secondary on its toes throughout the game. Dave Canales needs to lean more on his passing game early on and by doing so it will open things up for the running backs as the game plays out.

Be Better On Third Down

Coming into the game against the Lions the Bucs were one of the best teams in football on third down both offensively and defensively. That all fell apart in Week 6. The Buccaneers offense went just 2-12 on third-down conversions and was a huge reason they lost the game last week.

Prior to that Baker Mayfield was the best quarterback in football when it came to third down conversions going 31-39 for 322 yards and five touchdowns to zero interceptions. His QB rating was an astounding 140.7 which was best in the NFL with Patrick Mahomes trailing 125.5 behind him.

Chris Godwin was a major benefactor of those throws, catching nine balls on nine targets for seven first downs. The Bucs will need to get back to those numbers in Sunday’s tilt against the Falcons. On the flip side, the defense was slightly over 50% on third down allowing 30 conversions on 54 attempts. Against the Lions, they allowed 9 conversions on 16 attempts. Those numbers will need to come down to beat the Falcons on Sunday. 

Do you agree with this week's keys to cannon fire? What do you think is most important for the Bucs to secure a win? Tell us in the comments!

You can follow JC Allen on Twitter @JCAllenNFL.

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