MNF Preview: Falcons and Bucs Toe in up in Tampa

Falcons Look to Keep NFC South Hopes Alive

The Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will meet on Monday Night Football to end Week 15 in the NFL. Raymond James Stadium in Tampa will host these NFC South division rivals. Kick-off is set for 8:30 pm EST and ESPN will have the coverage. Oddsmakers opened the Falcons as -4.5-point favorites versus the Buccaneers, while the game’s total opened at 47.5. The Falcons are 7-point favorites now and the total is up to 49. For the Falcons it is not complicated. If they  win out in their last three games  they will win the NFC South title. That journey starts tonight on national television against the slumping Tampa Bay Bucs. They then finish the season at the Saints and then at home against the Panthers. Atlanta is one game behind the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers in the NFC South standings. They put themselves in position by winning four of its last five games. The Falcons are currently the 6th place team in the Playoff structure.

Tampa Looking to Spoil the Postseason for the Falcons

Tampa Bay lost its last outing, a 24-21 result against the Detroit Lions on December 10. The Buccaneers failed to cover in that game as a +0-point underdog, while the 45 combined points took the game UNDER the total. Winston has returned for battered Bucs. They are expected to be without star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy after he suffered a biceps injury the Lions. The Bucs have been one of the NFL’s biggest disappointments this year. They failed to build upon last season’s 9-7 record. Many thought they would vastly improve, especially with the acquisition of wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Tampa Bay’s defense has struggled finding a pass rush all season. They rank 32nd in the NFL with 17 sacks. Gerald McCoy leads the Bucs with five sacks. The Bucs had five turnovers against the Lions last week. Three of them by Winston. He threw two interceptions and had one lost fumble. Winston has 53 turnovers in 42 NFL games. The Bucs are 1-10 in games in which Winston throws multiple interceptions. Controversy surrounds the talented Winston. He has a bum shoulder, is being investigated for sexually assaulting an Uber driver, and now it comes out that his relationship with Coach Dirk Koetter is not very stable. Winston blames to coach for not supporting him properly when he got injured. He got his Feelz damaged and is walking around Butt-hurt.

Falcons Coming off Extra Rest after Last Thursday’s Win Over Saints

Atlanta won its last outing, a 20-17 result against the New Orleans Saints on December 07. The Falcons covered in that game as a -2.5-point favorite, while the 37 combined points took the game UNDER the total. The Falcons are receiving some extra rest after defeating the Saints 20-17 last Thursday. They have already beaten Tampa in Atlanta on Nov. 26th. It was  34-20 victory. The Bucs were playing their third consecutive game without injured quarterback Jameis Winston. The Falcons were explosive in the earlier meeting against the Bucs. Matt Ryan was 26 of 35 for 317 yards and receiver Julio Jones had 12 receptions for 253 yards and two touchdowns. The season has been schizophrenic with a 3-0 start, followed by three consecutive losses, then a protracted battle back into contention for the division crown and the playoffs. Atlanta’s defense held the Saints to 306 yards, with only 50 rushing the last time the teams met.  They will pose a challenge for Tampa Bay’s mistake-prone offense.

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Atlanta Falcons

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	22.62	16	24.00	22
Away Team Road Passing vs Home Team Home Passing Defense	257.67	6	270.17	30
Away Team Road Rushing vs Home Team Home Rushing Defense	102.83	17	72.17	4
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	20.31	22	20.08	10
Home Team Home Passing vs Away Team Road Passing Defense	246.33	12	209.83	9
Home Team Home Rushing vs Away Team Road Rushing Defense	104.33	20	123.00	24

Head To Head Detail

NFL Betting Trends

Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Atlanta’s last 10 games
Atlanta is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games on the road
Atlanta is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Atlanta is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Atlanta is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta’s last 9 games when playing Tampa Bay
Atlanta is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay is 2-9-1 ATS in its last 12 games
Tampa Bay is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
Tampa Bay is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Tampa Bay is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Tampa Bay’s last 9 games at home
Tampa Bay is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Tampa Bay’s last 9 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta

Atlanta Falcons

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Next up: Atlanta at New Orleans Sunday, December 24 Tampa Bay at Carolina Sunday, December 24 Get your NFL odds at Bovada today.