3 key matchups: Falcons at Bucs

Here are three key matchups to watch when the Falcons (4-10) play the Buccaneers (10-5) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa:

Falcons LB Deion Jones vs. Bucs RB Ronald Jones: The Falcons held the Bucs to 51 yards rushing when the teams met two weeks ago, but Ronald Jones was on the reserve/COVID-19 list. In his third season in the NFL, the Tampa Bay running back is averaging 5 yards per carry and needs 100 yards to reach 1,000 for the first time in his NFL career. Deion Jones is the Falcons’ second leading tackler with 102 tackles. He has played 975 defensive snaps (96%). Deion Jones has missed only nine tackles this season and has a career low 8.1 missed-tackle percentage.

Falcons LB Foye Oluokun/CB Kendall Sheffield vs. Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski: The Falcons plan to mix their coverages against Gronkowski, as they did Sunday against Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce. Oluokun and Sheffield were left in man-to-man at times and sometimes bracketed him in zone coverage. Oluokun came up with an interception in the red zone. Gronkowski has been coming on strong after spending a year in retirement. “He’s exceeded my expectations to tell you the truth.,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians said. “I think he’s gotten better and better. He’s really hitting his stride.”