Atlanta Falcons' Desmond Ridder Previews Challenging Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Line
As the Atlanta Falcons finish their final preparations for Sunday's game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they will finalize their plan for neutralizing a tough front seven.
While it feels very cliche to say that a football game is won up front, it does ring true for matchups like Sunday's.
"I feel like, for me, I feel like our O-Line has done a great job all season, give me enough time to get the ball out, being able for me to make quick reads, and get it out," Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder said about the battle in the trenches on Sunday. "Then, you look at this defense, they like to have five guys up there always, ... But they're always going to try to pressure you and try to confuse the quarterback, whether it's a look and the safety rotations, or like I said, just the pressure and dropping a guy out, and we just have to be ready for everything."
Sep 25, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) defensive tackle Greg Gaines (96) and defensive end William Gholston (92) line up against the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
The Buccaneers' defense will test the Falcons in many areas, including upfront, as they boast one of the best-run defenses in the league through the first six games. Tampa Bay is allowing the seventh-fewest yards rushing per game at 83.8 while ranking 10th for yards per rush at 3.7, which, for an offense like Atlanta's where the "bread and butter" is the ground game, Sunday will be a clash of strengths.
However, the battle won't just be on the ground, as the Falcons will also have to hold up in pass protection, an area where they need improvement. After a promising step forward a season ago, the Falcons offensive line is in the top-10 for sacks allowed at No. 8, with 19 given up so far. It is a worrying regression in pass protection, considering the Falcons only gave up 37 sacks last season.
While the Buccaneers' pass rush doesn't look formidable on paper, having tallied just 15 sacks, they possess one of the league's top interior defensive linemen in Vita Vea.
However, unlike many other nose tackles in the NFL, the one-time Pro-Bowler isn't just your usual run-stopper. Rather, the former first-round pass also stands out as an interior pass-rusher. Vea is currently the Buccaneers' leader in sacks with 3.5, and after returning to practice on Friday after being limited with a foot injury, he looks on pace to play on Sunday.
When the Falcons take the field inside Raymond James Stadium, they will look to assert themselves on the line of scrimmage with their vaunted run game. Kickoff on Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
