FLOWERY BRANCH — The title was there for the taking.
Tampa Bay steadied its Pirate ship just long enough to claim a second consecutive NFC South title in quarterback Tom Brady’s third season with the team. The Buccaneers defeated the Panthers 30-24 on Sunday to wrap up the title.
The Bucs (8-8) are set to face the Falcons (6-10) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Tampa Bay is locked into the fourth seed for the NFC playoffs and will be tempted to rest its starters or pull them early in the game. The Falcons have been eliminated from the playoffs and are playing for pride and draft position.
“We’ll have another challenge again against Tampa, regardless of who’s out there or what their strategy is,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “We’ll see how the week goes there. We have to get ready to play a really good scheme and a really good defense.”
The game will provide a good test for Falcons rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder.
The Falcons are working on their passing attack, and the Bucs have the ninth-ranked pass defense in the NFL. The Falcons pass for 155.7 yards per game, which ranks 31st in the league. The Bucs are giving up 203.3 yards passing per game.
The Falcons’ pass protection also will be tested. The Bucs have five players with at least four sacks, led by behemoth defensive tackle Vita Vea, who’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 347 pounds.
The Bucs defeated the Falcons 21-15 on Oct. 9. The game was controversial after Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was called for an unnecessary-roughness penalty after sacking Brady. Also, Brady later was fined $11,139 for attempting to kick Jarrett.
Some consider the fine an admission that the officials blew the call on the play.
“That will have no bearing on this game,” Smith said. “It will be a different set of circumstances. It’s a game we are looking forward to playing. We’ll try to get another win at home.”
This will be the 59th meeting between the teams. The Bucs lead the series 30-28 and have won the previous five meetings.
Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles doesn’t plan to rest his starters. The Bucs are going to host either the Cowboys or the Eagles in their first playoff game.
“We can get better at a lot of things,” Bowles told the Tampa-area media Monday. “So right now, we’re planning on playing (the starters). We’ll see as the week goes forward, but we can get better at a lot of things we need to work on, and we don’t need to take our foot off the gas.”
The Bucs haven’t been able to get much momentum this season. If they can beat the Falcons, they would take a three-game win streak into the playoffs. The Bucs have not won three in a row this season.
“You just have to be ready for anything; it’s the NFL,” Smith said. “You’ve got to prepare for their guys, whoever is on the roster.”
The Cardinals had a flexible quarterback situation last week.
“We prepared for Colt McCoy and (thought) we could see (Trace) McSorley, and here comes David Blough,” Smith said. “You’ve got to have contingency plans. That’s what it comes down to. Got to be able to adjust. Whatever their plan is, we’ll prepare as best we can.”
If the Bucs elect to rest Brady to get him ready for the playoffs, Blaine Gabbert and Kyle Trask are the backup quarterbacks.
Gabbert, 33, was drafted 10th overall by Jacksonville in the 2011 draft. He has played for five teams and is 13-35 as a starter.
The Falcons are familiar with his work. He played for Tennessee in the 2018 season when Smith was the Titans’ offensive coordinator.
He made his last start in the NFL against the Colts on Dec. 30, 2018. In the 33-17 loss, Gabbert completed 18 of 29 passes for 165 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions. He finished with a passer rating of 60.3. He’s been with Tampa Bay since 2020 and has not attempted a pass this season.
Trask, who played at Florida, was drafted in the second round (64th overall) by the Bucs in 2021. He has not played in an NFL regular-season game.
“We are looking forward to it,” Smith said. “(We want to) finish the season the right way.”
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The Bow Tie Chronicles
Atlanta Falcons 2022 schedule
Sept. 11 Saints 27, Falcons 26
Sept. 18 Rams 31, Falcons 27
Sept. 25 Falcons 27, Seahawks 23
Oct. 2 Falcons 23, Browns 20
Oct. 9 Buccaneers 21, Falcons 15
Oct. 16 Falcons 28, 49ers 14
Oct. 23 Bengals 35, Falcons 17
Oct. 30 Falcons 37, Panthers 34 OT
Nov. 6 Chargers 20, Falcons 17
Nov. 10 Panthers 25, Falcons 15
Nov. 20 Falcons 27, Bears 24
Nov. 27 Commanders 19, Falcons 13
Dec. 4 Steelers 19, Falcons 16
BYE WEEK
Dec. 18 Saints 21, Falcons 18
Dec. 24 Ravens 17, Falcons 9
Jan. 1 Falcons 20, Cardinals 19
Jan. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
