FLOWERY BRANCH -- NFC South teams the Bucs, Panthers and Saints all opened with wins, while the Falcons were defeated 32-6 in Week 1 of the NFL season.
The Falcons, who are huge underdogs, can’t afford to fall two games behind the Bucs to open the season. The teams meet at 4:05 p.m. Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
The Bucs, who squeaked by the Cowboys 31-29, are not likely to get complacent.
They do have some issues in the secondary, and their running backs underperformed.
Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting suffered a dislocated elbow and was played on injured reserve. He played in all 20 games in 2020, including the playoffs, and made 17 starts. He had three interceptions in the playoffs and became the first player in team history to pick off a pass in three consecutive playoff games.
The Bucs signed journeyman cornerback Pierre Desir to help out and hope to get back safety Jordan Whitehead (hamstring).
Bucs coach Bruce Arians announced that running back Ronald Jones would start against the Falcons after shaky game against Dallas (five carries for 14 yards and a fumble).
“Very average,” Arians said when asked to describe the play of his running backs. “We dropped a screen pass for an interception. We don’t like to throw to backs if we don’t have to. They are check-down people. We don’t bring backs in here to throw them 100 passes. We have enough guys outside to throw a hundred passes to.”
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