Falcons Offense Provides 'Nightmare' for Buccaneers Defense
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If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2) want to win Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons (2-2), they will need to stop the run.
The Falcons are doubling down on the run game even after starter Cordarrelle Patterson was sent to Injured Reserve (IR) following a procedure on his knee.
However, when one head gets chopped off, two grow back. With Patterson sitting out, both rookie Tyler Allgeier and second-year pro Caleb Huntley are expected to play big roles Sunday against the Buccaneers ... and Tampa is committed to stopping them.
"When you look at [the Falcons] everybody's down in three-point stances [and] you know they're coming off," Buccaneers defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers said. "And they're doing a pretty good job of it. What's kind of amazing is, you look back and getting ready to play them last year, they finished 31st in the league in rushing offense, and right now, they're fourth. So, you can see what they've committed to in the offseason."
The commitment showed in spades during last weekend's game against the Cleveland Browns. With Marcus Mariota struggling to move the ball through the air, the Falcons ran 14 consecutive run plays ... and it worked.
"What's amazing is, when you look at third down, there's not a whole lot of them because they are converting a lot on first and second down, and third down is very manageable because it's third-and-one, third-and-two, so they're staying ahead of the sticks and doing an outstanding job," Rodgers said.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. It's the Falcons' job to stick to the game plan. And it's the Bucs' job to break it.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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